South Carolina 34,Clemson 17

It was over when... Stephen Garcia hooked up with Weslye Saunders on a TD pass to end Clemson's comeback bid.
Gameball goes to... South Carolina's defense, which dominated Clemson's offense throughout the game.
Stat of the game... 7. C.J. Spiller set an NCAA record with his seventh career kickoff return for a touchdown.
Complete Top 25 Overview
Team Stat Comparison

1st Downs 14 21
Total Yards 260 388
Passing 212 165
Rushing 48 223
Penalties 2-20 4-39
3rd Down Conversions 3-13 6-16
4th Down Conversions 0-1 1-1
Turnovers 3 2
Possession 23:29 36:31
Air/Ground Leaders
Clemson Passing
C/ATT YDS TD INT
Parker 22/42 212 1 1

South Carolina Passing
C/ATT YDS TD INT
Garcia 10/21 126 3 1
Gilmore 1/1 39 0 0
Clemson Rushing
CAR YDS TD LG
Spiller 9 18 0 5
Parker 4 13 0 19

South Carolina Rushing
CAR YDS TD LG
Miles 17 114 0 22
Garcia 14 46 0 18
Clemson Receiving
REC YDS TD LG
Palmer 8 106 1 26
Ford 5 49 0 23

South Carolina Receiving
REC YDS TD LG
Jeffery 4 65 0 39
Gurley 2 50 1 36
Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER CLEM SCAR
TD 14:41 C.J. Spiller 88 Yd Kickoff Return (Richard Jackson Kick) 7 0
TD 05:21 Brian Maddox 1 Yd Run (Spencer Lanning Kick) 7 7
TD 02:01 Weslye Saunders 9 Yd Pass From Stephen Garcia (Spencer Lanning Kick) 7 14
SECOND QUARTER CLEM SCAR
FG 10:44 Spencer Lanning 47 Yd 7 17
THIRD QUARTER CLEM SCAR
TD 07:47 Tori Gurley 14 Yd Pass From Stephen Garcia (Spencer Lanning Kick) 7 24
FOURTH QUARTER CLEM SCAR
FG 11:23 Richard Jackson 45 Yd 10 24
FG 05:22 Spencer Lanning 38 Yd 10 27
TD 03:46 Michael Palmer 22 Yd Pass From Kyle Parker (Richard Jackson Kick) 17 27
TD 02:40 Weslye Saunders 1 Yd Pass From Stephen Garcia (Spencer Lanning Kick) 17 34
Photo Wire

South Carolina's Weslye Saunders (88) scores a touchdown, while Clemson's DeAndre McDaniel (2) picks himself up...
(AP Photo/Richard Shiro)
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Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier still has a few of those Heisman Trophy moves.

Gamecocks captain Moe Brown and fellow senior Garrett Anderson chased an elusive Spurrier, the 1966 Heisman winner at Florida, with a water bucket and eventually doused their coach after beating rival Clemson (No. 18 ESPN/USA Today, No. 15 AP) on Saturday 34-17.

Spurrier's rule is save such showers for championships. Even the head ball coach had to smile when Brown pointed out the Gamecocks won the Palmetto State title.

Fast Facts

• South Carolina ended a two-game losing streak against the Tigers and three-game overall losing streak.

• The Gamecocks are 6-1 at home this season, their best record since 1988. It also marked the second win over a ranked opponent for South Carolina this season.

• C.J. Spiller returned the opening kickoff for a TD, setting a FBS record with his seventh career kickoff TD return and became the fifth person in FBS history to go over 7,000 all-purpose yards.

• Clemson is 9-4 vs. South Carolina when the game is played the Saturday after Thanksgiving or on Thanksgiving Day.

-- ESPN Stats & Information

"I figured I only got one game left, he can't be too mad at me," Brown said. "We said we won the state championship and he gave me a hug."

"That was a big win," Brown said. "We needed it."

Besides short-circuiting another late-season swoon, the Gamecocks (7-5) most likely earned a bid to one of the Southeastern Conference's mid-tier bowls like the Music City or Chick-fil-A.

"It was a wonderful win," Spurrier said.

And it came mostly because South Carolina's defense slowed a Tigers attack that had averaged more than 40 points and 415 yards during its six-game win streak.

Clemson's run brought it an ACC Atlantic Division crown and a spot in next week's league title game against Georgia Tech. The Tigers (8-4) had few answers for South Carolina's rested and raring-to-go defenders.

Clemson star C.J. Spiller had his NCAA record-setting seventh career kickoff return touchdown to start the game. He managed only 18 yards on the ground after that.

Spiller battled an illness throughout, saying he felt sick to his stomach. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said Spiller "tweaked" his groin but should be fine by next week.

By the end, backups Andre Ellington and Jamie Harper did most of the backfield work.

"It's better for another guy to be out there than for me to be out there not giving it my all," Spiller said.

Stephen Garcia threw three touchdown passes as South Carolina put a temporary halt to Clemson's series dominance.

Clemson had won two straight, six out of seven and 10 of 12 against the Gamecocks, who had only one victory over the Tigers in the last 10 games at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Clemson had just 260 yards of offense. Spiller finished with 18 yards rushing and 19 receiving.

South Carolina fans chanted "S-E-C" as the outcome became clear.

The Tigers head into next week's championship with several questions to answer. No. 1 among them: What happened to the offense?

Swinney says the team will respond with character and hard work.

"Our next goal is to try and win the ACC," Swinney said. "We will turn the page."

After Spiller struck for his 88-yard kickoff return just 20 seconds in -- it was his fourth such score this season -- the orange-clad fans among the 80,574 in the stands had little reason to doubt it'd be another day to celebrate.

But the Tigers had only 138 yards through three quarters.

There were interceptions, fumbles and penalties galore that helped South Carolina score 17 points in the opening half, more than it had in any of its last five games.

"We were moving the ball down the field and moving on their defense and then we would kill ourselves," Clemson tight end Michael Palmer said.

South Carolina made the Tigers pay.

Jamie Harper's fumble turned into a 1-yard touchdown run by Brian Maddox to tie things.

Kyle Parker's first interception in three games followed on Clemson's next drive, with freshman DeVonte Holloman returning it 54 yards to the Tigers 11. Garcia connected with tight end Weslye Saunders for the go-ahead score from 9 yards out.

If you needed proof this was the Gamecocks' day, it came a series later.

Ricky Sapp had a roughing penalty on a punt to keep another Gamecocks drive going. That one ended with Spencer Lanning clanging a 47-yard field goal off the right upright.

Garcia clinched things in the third quarter with a 14-yard touchdown throw to a wide-open Tori Gurley.

Spiller fumbled on the Tigers' first possession of the second half, and Clemson got just one first down its next three series.

The victory ended what looked like another late-season swoon in Spurrier's fifth year as Gamecocks coach.

In 2007, South Carolina opened 6-1 and lost its last five. A year ago, a 7-3 start was ruined by three straight defeats down the stretch.

The Gamecocks were 6-2 a month ago after beating Vanderbilt 14-10. Losses to Tennessee, Arkansas and top-ranked Florida had Spurrier fielding uncomfortable questions about playcalling and his future.

Spurrier, testily at times, preached patience and reminded critics his team's best days were down the road. That showed against the Tigers.

Hollomon's game-changing interception was the first of his career. Defensive back Stephon Gilmore, Holloman's teammate at South Pointe High last fall, was used successfully in a wildcat look that set up Maddox's tying touchdown.

Senior linebacker Eric Norwood reminded everyone how important it is to beat your rival.

"It feels good," Norwood said, smiling. "It feels like we're 10-0."

USC ground game, stingy D smack Clemson

USC rides momentum of a Palmetto Bowl victory into its bowl game
By JOSEPH PERSON
jperson@thestate.com

As they walked out of Williams-Brice Stadium following South Carolina's 34-17 win Saturday, USC tight end Weslye Saunders and tackle Jarriel King stopped in the southwest corner and held the Hardee's Trophy aloft and gave Gamecock fans a chance to snap pictures and soak in the moment.

Clemson (8-4) will be playing for a bigger, shinier trophy next week when the 15th-ranked Tigers face No. 7 Georgia Tech for the ACC championship in Tampa, Fla.

But USC (7-5) took away something more important than the hardware - salvation of a season following a rare win against its Upstate rival.

The Gamecocks rediscovered their running offense and overcame C.J. Spiller's NCAA record-setting touchdown return on the opening kickoff to win for the third time in the past 13 games against the Tigers.

USC had dropped three in a row entering Saturday's game and was in danger of limping into its bowl game in the midst of another late-season skid. Instead, the Gamecocks are guaranteed a winning season and will take momentum - and likely more fans - to their bowl destination.

"I feel like we accomplished something. We could easily be down on ourselves after those three games. But now we did something," said Saunders, who had two short touchdown receptions. "A lot of people have been telling us all year, 'As long as you beat Clemson.' We just beat Clemson."

But do not expect Steve Spurrier to sell commemorative Clemson game balls on the Gamecock Club circuit in the spring, as he did three years ago following his only other win against the Tigers at USC.

"I think sometimes we celebrate too much when we beat 'em, to tell you the truth," Spurrier said. "I think when Clemson beats us, they don't celebrate wildly. But I think we overdid it three years ago, and I was probably guilty also."

The Tigers barely resembled the team that had won six in a row entering the game.

Clemson gave up 223 rushing yards, matched a season high with three turnovers and did little offensively until the fourth quarter. With USC doing its best to surround Spiller, the Tigers managed 48 rushing yards on 19 carries - the second time since 1980 Clemson has run for fewer than 100 yards against USC.

"It's been a long time since we've lost a game. That's a very sick feeling," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. "And we had an opportunity to achieve one of our goals today, and we failed to do it."

Spiller also felt sick, battling a stomach ailment throughout the game. He looked healthy enough when given a mulligan when USC was offsides on the opening kickoff.

The Heisman Trophy candidate took the re-kick 88 yards for his seventh career kickoff return for a touchdown, an NCAA record.

But the Gamecocks recovered to hold Clemson to 138 yards over the first three quarters.

"He didn't score on us. They scored on special teams. They didn't score on the defense," senior linebacker Eric Norwood said. "We wanted to go out there and shut 'em out, and I think that's what we pretty much did for the majority of the game."

USC kept Spiller hemmed in the rest of the game, holding him to 18 yards on nine carries - a 2-yard average that was nearly 6 yards below his career average against the Gamecocks.

"We kept him caged up pretty good," USC assistant coach for defense Ellis Johnson said.

But there was no caging the Gamecocks' ground game. Spurrier called 58 run plays - the most in his five seasons at USC - and unveiled the "WildCock" formation with freshman cornerback Stephon Gilmore at quarterback.

The results were a 13-minute edge in time of possession and what USC quarterback Stephen Garcia called a "statement" in a rivalry that has been largely one-sided.

The Gamecocks gained much of their rushing yards up the middle on read-options by Garcia and runs by tailback Kenny Miles, who finished with 114 yards on 17 carries.

"I believe at one stretch towards the end of the game, we ran the same play maybe six, seven times. The first two or three times you're like, what in the world?" USC receiver Moe Brown said.

"But you see it keeps getting five yards, and by the fourth time it was kinda funny. Like, y'all aren't gonna stop this (expletive). So we kinda got a laugh out of that."

The Gamecocks and their fans figure to be laughing for a while.

When USC was struggling to win down the stretch, Spurrier gave his players 24 hours to mourn a loss. Saunders was asked whether there would be a similar time limit to celebrate the Clemson win.

Saunders smiled and said, "I think we're going to have to up that to 30 days."

Gamecocks' bowl bid needs 1 for the road

Written by JOSEPH PERSON


BCS Championship game, Jan. 7, Pasadena, Calif., 8:30 p.m., Florida

Sugar Bowl, Jan. 1, New Orleans, 8:30 p.m., Alabama

Capital One, Jan. 1, Orlando, 1 p.m., LSU

Outback Bowl, Jan. 1, Tampa, 11 a.m., Mississippi

Cotton Bowl, Jan. 2, Arlington, Texas, 2 p.m., Arkansas

Chick-fil-A , Dec. 31, Atlanta, 7:30 p.m., Tennessee

Liberty, Jan. 2, Memphis, 5:30 p.m., Georgia

Music City Bowl, Dec. 27, Nashville, 8:15 p.m., Auburn

PapaJohn's.Com , Jan. 2, Birmingham, Ala., 2 p.m., South Carolina

Independence Bowl, Dec. 28, Shreveport, La., 5 p.m., Kentucky

Unlike two years ago, South Carolina will not be left home for the holidays this year come bowl season.

Barring the unexpected - Florida losing to Florida International, Alabama falling to Chattanooga or Mississippi State beating Arkansas and Mississippi the next two weeks - the Gamecocks will snag one of the SEC's bowl slots regardless of how they fare against Clemson next weekend.

By defeating the Tigers, USC (6-5) could improve its bowl stock in a muddled middle-of-the-SEC pack. With the possibility that 10 conference teams could finish with at least seven wins, the Gamecocks would be headed to one of the SEC's bottom-run bowls - probably the Papajohns.com Bowl in Birmingham against a Big East team - if they finish the regular season 6-6.

But there should be a spot for them, which was not the case in 2007 when the Independence Bowl took 6-6 Alabama over a USC team with the same record.

USC's omission prompted SEC officials to line up a ninth bowl slot - the so-called Pizza Bowl in Birmingham, where the conference office is based.

"When you looked at the landscape of all bowl games, most every spot now was being taken. There were no at-large (bids)," SEC spokesman Charles Bloom said Wednesday. "To protect ourselves and protect our ninth team ... was important."

As it turned out, the SEC could not fill all of its bowl tie-ins last season when eight teams were eligible. This year the league has nine bowl-eligible teams, with Tennessee (5-5) needing one win in its final two games against Vanderbilt and Kentucky to join the list.

Mississippi State (4-6) would need to upset Arkansas and Ole Miss to reach the six wins required for bowl eligibility.

The SEC will be able to accommodate 10 teams this season because - as was the case last season - No. 1 Florida and second-ranked Alabama are both locks for BCS bowl games.

So where does that leave USC?

The Gamecocks' destination hinges on the Clemson game.

Win, and USC is in the hunt for the Chick-fil-A and Music City bowls. Those games would be attractive to Gamecock fans because of their metropolitan locales in Atlanta and Nashville, and the matchup with an ACC opponent in each bowl.

Chick-fil-A president Gary Stokan said he would prefer an 8-win team from the SEC, but is not sure there will be one available when the Chick-fil-A selects after the Capital One, Outback and Cotton bowls.

USC has not played in the Atlanta bowl since 1969, when it was in its second year of existence and still known as the Peach.

"We think enough of South Carolina's fans that, certainly, if they were to beat their archrival Clemson, South Carolina fans would get excited" about coming to Atlanta for the Dec. 31 game, Stokan said.

The Gamecocks have never played in the Music City and faced Vanderbilt in Columbia this season, so fans would not be making a second trip to Nashville.

A loss to Clemson likely would send USC to the Independence or Papajohns.com, which get the last two picks from the SEC's bowl pool.

The Gamecocks lost to Missouri in the Independence in 2005 in Steve Spurrier's first season. USC officials might have trouble convincing fans to travel to Shreveport, La., if the Gamecocks drop their past four games.

It would be an easier trip to Birmingham, where Spurrier coached his final game with Duke in the 1989 All-American Bowl. Spurrier also coached in two SEC championship games with Florida at Legion Field, site of the Papajohns.com Bowl on Jan. 2.

"South Carolina would be a good match for us," Papajohns.com executive director Mark Meadows said. "I think Spurrier would add a lot to the local interest here in Birmingham."

South Florida, Rutgers and West Virginia are in the running for the Big East slot in Birmingham. Choosing last in the SEC bowl lineup, Meadows said USC might not be available at 7-5.

"If they beat Clemson (and) wind up with seven wins, I think they would certainly be attractive to other bowls as well."