COLUMBIA — Trevor Lawrence completed an ACC single-game record 18 straight passes, while throwing for 295 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for a career-high 66 yards as No. 3 Clemson had a workman like 38-3 victory over rival South Carolina Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.

Lawrence threw touchdown passes of 10, 65 and 16 yards to Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross. It marked Clemson’s sixth straight victory in the rivalry, the first time either has won more than five in a row since the Tigers won a series record seven straight games from 1934-’40.

Higgins hauled in three passes for 101 yards to go with his two touchdowns, while Ross had a career-high 11 catches for 111 yards.

The Tigers finished the game with 527 total yards and 30 first downs. Clemson was 12-for-17 on third down.

South Carolina’s three points in the game were the fewest for the Gamecocks in the series since Clemson beat them 45-0 in 1989 in Columbia.

The Gamecocks (4-8) did have a 15-play, 76-yard drive in the second quarter that took 7:05 off the clock, but it ended with a 39-yard field goal by Parker White with 7:33 to play in the half. It was the best drive of the game for USC, who finished with 174 total yards and nine first downs. They were 5 for 15 on third down.

Clemson (12-0) took a 7-0 lead following a Derion Kendrick interception on Ryan Hilinski’s second pass of the game. The interception came just a few plays after the Gamecocks stopped Travis Etienne for no gain on fourth down-and-goal from the 1-yard line.

Lawrence needed just three plays to find Higgins on a 10-yard pass in the corner of the end zone. That gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 6:58 to play in the opening quarter.

Clemson made it 14-0 on its next possession when Lawrence found Higgins down the middle for a 65-yard scoring play with 3:46 to go in the first quarter.

After White’s field goal, Lawrence spotted Ross in the corner of the end zone on third down from the South Carolina 16. Initially Ross was ruled out of bounds, but replay overturned the ruling on the field. That gave the Tigers a 21-3 lead with 3:04 to go before halftime.

B.T. Potter added a 46-yard field goal as time expired for Clemson’s 24-3 lead at the break.

Lawrence was 4-for-5 on third downs for 59 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, and also had a 21-yard scramble for a first down to another drive alive.

Travis Etienne, who was held to a season-low 51 yards on 15 carries, scored two second half touchdowns to up the Tigers lead to 38-3. He had two-yard run in the third quarter for a score and a 3-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Clemson will play Virginia next Saturday in the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte.