By Will Vandervort.

Tyshon Dye had no idea he was going to carry the football 20 times on Saturday, but he was thankful he got the opportunity. And he made the most of them all.

Dye rushed for 124 yards on those 20 carries and scored two touchdowns—the first two of his career—as No. 22 Clemson rushed for 209 yards overall in the 28-0 victory over Georgia State.

“I needed it to actually get the playing experience and to build my endurance,” Dye said. “This gave me a lot better feel for the game.”

Before Saturday’s heavy workload, Dye had carried the football just five times for 14 yards in the Tigers’ win over Wake Forest on Nov. 6. That was the first time he touched the ball as a Clemson Tiger thanks to back surgery his freshman season and he then tore his Achilles heel last February.

“It’s a blessing because I know there are not many people that get these opportunities,” Dye said. “I just tried my best and tried to take advantage of it. It has been a long road. There have been a lot of bumps and bruises along the way, but I did not want to give up.

“I stayed positive because this is what I wanted. I just kept working hard for it.”

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said he went into the game hoping to get Dye a lot of touches but they had no set plan to see if it could get to 20 carries.

“I didn’t have a number, but I told Tony (Elliott) that we were going to feature him this week,” Swinney said. “We wanted to get him in there in the first quarter and challenge him and see how it goes and then we planned to respond from there.

“I was really pleased with what I saw. He needs it. He needs all the work he can get. Like I said, he can take a lot of confidence from that game and we can keep building from there.”

Swinney will like to see Dye’s confidence carry over to next week’s game against South Carolina. The Gamecocks have had their issues this season stopping the run, especially with a running back Dye’s size and ability.

Dye and fellow running back Wayne Gallman are both expected to carry the load for the Tigers in Death Valley next week.

“I’m just going to do what Coach (Chad) Morris, Coach Swinney and Coach Elliott tell me to do,” Dye said. “If they call on me, I will be ready. I will work hard and prepare the best way I can for next week.”

And can he do it with another 20-carry game?

“I’m feeling good,” Dye said.