Clemson leaned on a throwback run game, suffocating defense and Ricardo Jones’ late pick-six to bury South Carolina 28–14 in Columbia and close the regular season with bragging rights.
Clemson didn’t need style points. It needed the trophy and the bus ride home up I-26 with the stadium half-empty and the Gamecocks stunned into silence.
Mission accomplished.
Behind a throwback, run-heavy game plan, a workhorse afternoon from Adam Randall and a defense that flat-out erased South Carolina after halftime, Clemson closed the regular season with a 28–14 win at Williams-Brice Stadium — capped by freshman safety Ricardo Jones jumping a route for a late pick-six that blew the rivalry wide open.