COLUMBIA —If someone does not think beating South Carolina is every bit as important to Clemson as winning an ACC or national championship, they have not been paying attention to the last six seasons.
For the sixth straight season the third-ranked Tigers beat rival South Carolina thanks to a 38-3 beatdown at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia on Saturday. The defense held the Gamecocks to their fewest points and yards (174) in the rivalry since 1989, while the offense racked up 527 total yards and was 12 of 17 on third down.
The 35-point win was Clemson’s fourth consecutive win over the Gamecocks by 21 or more points, the most lopsided four-game stretch in the history of the rivalry which began in 1896.