South Carolina-Clemson 3-2-1: Three key plays, two game balls, one burning question

Gamecock Central breaks down the key moments and players from South Carolina’s upset of Clemson.

Three Key Plays

1. Dropped pick-six/Caught pick-six

On the Tigers’ first possession, Clemson faced third and six. Darius Rush jumped a curl route and DJ Uiagalelei threw the ball right to Rush. There was nobody between Rush and the end zone, but he dropped the easy pick-six.

Clemson punted, and on the next play, Jeremiah Trotter jumped a curl route and Spencer Rattler threw right to him. Unlike Rush, Trotter held on and returned the interception for an easy touchdown. Instead of having an early lead, South Carolina had an early deficit it spent the next three quarters trying to dig out of.

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2. Early whistle

For the second week in a row, South Carolina had a fumble return for a touchdown wiped out by a referee blowing a whistle too early. Last week it was a fumble by Hendon Hooker the officials erroneously blew dead. Saturday, Uiagalelei threw a lateral to Phil Mafah, who couldn’t hang on. South Carolina had a clear recovery with no Clemson players in sight, but the officials blew the play dead. On close plays, they are supposed to let it play out and then correct it with replay. Instead of doing that, they blew a quick whistle. The play was reviewed, and the replay clearly showed it was not a forward pass. But the play stood, perhaps because the whistle came before a clear recovery. Whatever the rationale, it was clearly the wrong call that took a game-tying touchdown off the board. South Carolina ended up pinned deep after the Clemson punt, and Clemson got a safety, and the Tigers left by two or nine points, the margin created by the blown call, until the fourth quarter.

3. Fumble

Despite everything that went against them, from dropped interceptions, to missed reads, to blown calls, the Gamecocks had the lead in the fourth quarter. The Tigers were on edge all game, expecting some special teams trickery, but it was a normal punt that decided the game. Kai Kroeger punted with a little over two minutes to play, and Antonio Williams had a chance to return. But Nate Adkins punched the ball free and Nick Emmanwori recovered, and South Carolina ran out the clock.

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Two Game Balls

Nate Adkins

Adkins had four catches all season. He had four for 62 yards against Clemson. He made a spectacular 32-yard one-handed, diving grab late in the first quarter to give the Gamecocks a much-needed spark. Later, he had an 18-yard catch and run to set up the first touchdown of the third quarter. But his biggest play came on special teams when he stripped Clemson’s Williams on a punt return with just over two minutes to play.

Kai Kroeger

Kroeger was absolutely magnificent. He repeatedly flipped the field and put Clemson in a hole. He punted seven times for an average of 53.7 yards. Four punts went at least 50 yards, and three went over 60 yards. His punts were downed at the seven, the ten, the three, the two, and the three. When Clemson did get to return a punt, it turned into the game-clinching fumble.

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One Burning Question

Where was this all season?

In a way, it would have been reassuring if South Carolina had lost in a rout. It would have confirmed the Tennessee performance was a fluke. Instead, South Carolina finishes the season with back-to-back wins over top ten opponents. The no-show games against Missouri and Florida become even more frustrating. Why does South Carolina have to bottom out to get things figured out? After beating Texas A&M, South Carolina looked like it was headed for an 8-4 season (with losses to Tennessee and Clemson), which would have been an accomplishment. South Carolina indeed got to 8-4, but does beating Clemson and Tennessee to do it make you feel better or worse?

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