COLUMBIA, S.C. — After a late second quarter Nolan Hauser field goal, Clemson will take a 17-14 lead into halftime.
LaNorris Sellers isn’t running all over the Tigers to this point, but he surely is having his way with the defense through the air. Sellers has just -13 yards on the ground, but has lit the secondary up to the tune of 205 passing yards.
Numbers
Clemson has 17 first downs, to South Carolina’s six.
Clemson has 289 yards of total offense, to the Gamecocks 200.
The Tigers have outrushed SC 95 to -5.
Clemson possessed the ball for more than 21 minutes in that first half.
The Tigers are 5-of-9 on third down, while the Gameocks have yet to convert one.
Yet, despite it being one-sided statistically, Clemson leads by just three points.
Rumbling Randall
Adam Randall is averaging well over five yards per carry over the first two quarters of play, including a 10-yard touchdown scamper for the game’s first score. The better the Tigers can run it, the better it is for the passing game.
Clemson has rushed it for 88 yards, with Randall accounting for 68 and Gideon Davidson totaling 24.
Terrell Being Terrell
Avieon Terrell stripped the ball out of Gamecocks’ receiver Jarod Brown around the midway point of the first quarter, his fifth forced fumble of the season. Terrell now has seven of those in his career, which is a program record for defensive backs.
Unfortunately, Terrell left the contest just before the first South Carolina touchdown.
Missed Opportunities/Mistakes
Klubnik has already missed open receivers in the end zone twice in the first half, with both instances coming on the same drive. After Terrell’s forced fumble, Klunbik had Antonio Williams wide open in the left side of the end zone. Adam Randall did an excellent job picking up a blitzer on the play, but more pressure came up the middle, forcing Klubnik to throw off his back foot and he overshot Williams.
On the very next play, Randall beat his man by two steps, and if the ball is on target, it is an easy touchdown for Clemson. Instead, Klubnik underthrew it, resulting in an interception.
After South Carolina tied the game 7-7, Gideon Davidson chose not to fair catch a kickoff and was quickly brought down, setting up the Tigers at their own 15.
BIg Plays
Nick Harbor was aboe to get behind the Clemson defense for a 53-yard touchdown for South Carolina’s first score of the day. The seconday was missing Terrell and nickel Corian Gipson on the play.
The Gamecocks hit another explosive when Sellers hit Vandrevius Jacobs for a 73-yard touchdown strike after Jeadyn Lukus inexplicably gave up on the play. Lukus was in for the injured Terrell.