Clemson’s defense dominated the Gamecocks while the offense simply avoided catastrophe. Against a mediocre Gamecocks team that won’t be going to a bowl game, that was enough for a 16-7 win that never felt as close as the score indicated.
Clemson’s defensive front obliterated the Gamecocks’ offensive line. As expected, South Carolina couldn’t run the ball with any consistency. Spencer Rattler was elusive and had one great 16-yard run, but aside from that and a 19-yard rush by RB Mario Anderson, they were stonewalled all night. They totaled just 57 rushing yards, and excluding those two plays, had only 22 rushing yards.