LaNorris Sellers ran for two touchdowns and amassed a combined 330 yards rushing and passing to lead South Carolina to a 17-14 comeback victory over Clemson on Saturday afternoon in Clemson, S.C. Sellers led the 15th-ranked Gamecocks (9-3, 5-3 SEC) on a nine-play, 75-yard drive that he capped with a 20-yard touchdown run to put them ahead by the eventual winning margin with 1:08 left in the fourth quarter. No. 12 Clemson (9-3, 7-1 ACC) had one last chance and drove toward the red zone. But Demetrius Knight Jr. made a diving interception with 12 seconds remaining to seal the Gamecocks’ second win in three seasons in the Palmetto Bowl series and second in a row at Clemson. Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik completed 24 of 36 passes for 280 yards and ran for 62 yards and two touchdowns. On the interception, he threw the ball a bit behind intended receiver Phil Mafah. The ball bounced off Mafah’s outstretched hand and Knight took advantage.
It was the fifth combined turnover of the game and the second for Clemson. South Carolina bolstered its case to make the College Football Playoff as a potential at-large selection in capturing its sixth consecutive victory. It’s the Gamecocks’ longest winning streak since 2013. South Carolina had chances to tie the game earlier, but three turnovers continued to impede its progress.
One that could have proven costly came with 10:39 left in the fourth quarter after Sellers drove the Gamecocks from their 14 to the Clemson 14. But after a personal foul on South Carolina’s Torricelli Simpkins moved the ball back to the 26, Sellers was picked off inside the 10-yard line by Khalil Barnes, preserving a 14-7 Clemson lead at the time. The Gamecocks cut their deficit to 14-10 with 6:48 to go on Alex Herrera’s 42-yard field goal.
South Carolina attempted an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, but the Tigers recovered. The Gamecocks forced a punt on the ensuing drive, leading to Sellers’ dramatic score for the victory. Sellers completed 13 of 21 passes for 164 yards and one interception, and rushed 16 times for 166 yards and two TDs, including a 25-yard run in the second quarter.
Klubnik accounted for both Clemson touchdowns, first on a quarterback keeper from 13 yards to open the scoring with 12:07 left in the second quarter after an early scoreless stalemate. Klubnik then put the Tigers ahead with a run-pass-option keeper from 18 yards out with 9:57 left in the third quarter. –Field Level Media
