2015 Palmetto Bowl: Game Grades, Analysis for Clemson vs. South Carolina
We keep waiting for Clemson to "pull a Clemson," but maybe the Tigers have turned a page in the history books and have truly emerged as another on the list of power programs of the future.
Along with teams like Baylor, Oklahoma State, Michigan State and Stanford, Clemson is showing that not only can the Tigers win, but they can win when it counts: late in November against tough opponents and rivals with the season on the line.
The South Carolina Gamecocks gave it an amazing effort, but, in the end, Clemson made a few more plays when it mattered most. It's time to delve in and dissect all of the good, bad and ugly in this week's game grades for both Clemson and South Carolina.
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Here is the box score from today's game, via NCAA.com.
| Pass Offense | B+ | B+ |
| Run Offense | B | A- |
| Pass Defense | B | B |
| Run Defense | B+ | B+ |
| Special Teams | C+ | B- |
| Coaching | B+ | A- |
Clemson Pass Offense
Deshaun Watson is a game-day player, that's for sure. There's no question about his ability to manage a game, make big plays when needed and, despite his renown as a running quarterback, he can throw the ball with the best of them, too.
Today, Watson showed why he's such an asset to a team like Clemson. Watson completed 20 of his 27 throws for 279 yards and a touchdown, but most importantly, he didn't throw any dreaded interceptions that can kill a favored team in a rivalry game on the road.
Deon Cain led the Tigers with five receptions for 96 yards, including a 55-yard score. Jordan Leggett had four receptions for 73 yards.
Clemson Run Offense
We're not done heaping praise on Watson, either. He led all rushers with 114 yards and three rushing touchdowns, while Wayne Gallman also eclipsed the 100-yard mark on the ground with 102 yards.
Dual-threat quarterbacks are all the rage, and so many quarterbacks are described as such. But a quarterback who can pick up a few yards on the ground isn't really a true threat, is he? Watson is. He's a legitimate threat to pick up major chunks of yards on the ground, both in designed quarterback running plays, but also when the play breaks down and he escapes the pocket on his own initiative.
South Carolina didn't have the athletes on defense to stop Watson today, and Clemson's future foes will be hard pressed to find a way to slow Watson's amazing yardage pace.
Clemson Pass Defense
Clemson struggled, at times, against a middling passing attack from South Carolina, and it's here where we find our biggest concern about Clemson's national title prospects.
The Tigers gave up quite a few junk yards late, but South Carolina still passed for 221 yards and three touchdowns, and big yardage gains in the passing game were the reason the Gamecocks were able to keep this one close down the stretch.
South Carolina didn't do itself any favors in the passing game, and one could even argue that if the Gamecocks had managed to avoid unforced errors, the game may have ended differently.
Still, we'll give credit where credit is due, and Adrian Baker's interception is one of the few glowing highlights provided by Clemson's defense.
It wasn't the kind of defensive performance that excites or impresses; Clemson did just enough to win, but at this time of the year, a win is a heckuva lot better than a loss.
Clemson Run Defense
While the Tigers didn't allow any Gamecock to gain 100 yards rushing compared to the two 100-yard rushers Clemson itself had, the Tigers still managed to give up 181 yards on the ground—much of that yardage coming with runs right up the middle.
South Carolina finishes the 2015 season with a 3-9 record. Next up, 10-1 UNC. The Tigers desperately need to shore up that run defense if Clemson hopes to bring home an ACC title, to say nothing of earning a playoff berth.
Clemson Special Teams
Greg Huegel connected on his lone field goal attempt, but was 4-of-5 on extra points. Sure, one point here or there today didn't really alter the outcome, but as the importance of the games increase, so too do points—even extra points. Any coach will tell you there's a world of difference between a three-point lead and a four-point lead.
Similarly, Andy Teasdall's three punts averaged just 33 yards per kick. Punting is often the most overlooked facet of close games, and Clemson better hunker down in the realization that some tough, close games away from Death Valley are on the horizon.
Clemson Coaching
Dabo Swinney is one of the most entertaining coaches in the nation, and he has transformed Clemson from a perennial second-place-in-the-Atlantic team into a program capable of winning each and every game while chasing down a national championship.
Swinney should be pretty comfortable in tight wins now, after another decision that wasn't secured until the final minutes of the fourth quarter. The coaching staff is doing everything it needs to do to keep the Tigers in a position to win games. But we'd like to see a little more killer instinct from the Tigers.
Letting South Carolina hang around didn't cost the Tigers dearly today, but if Clemson doesn't put away teams like North Carolina or any potential playoff foe, don't be surprised if those teams—with greater depth of talent than South Carolina—sneak up and steal away a victory.
| Pass Offense | B- | B- |
| Run Offense | C+ | C+ |
| Pass Defense | C | C+ |
| Run Defense | C | C+ |
| Special Teams | B | B |
| Coaching | B- | B |
South Carolina Pass Offense
South Carolina has struggled all season with inefficiency, and today was no different.
Perry Orth threw the football 28 times for only 13 completions. Sure, Orth had three passing touchdowns, which kept the Gamecocks in the fight, but far too often South Carolina was hampered by inefficient passing, dropped passes and even an interception early on.
South Carolina gave up an early lead due to that inefficient offensive production, and it's never a good idea to try and play catch-up against the No. 1 team in the nation.
Deebo Samuel was the only SC receiver more than 100 yards with 104 on five receptions, including one touchdown.
South Carolina Run Offense
Lorenzo Nunez led South Carolina in rushing out of the quarterback position, and it is worrisome that head coach Shawn Elliott had to rely on his running quarterback to carry his offense's rushing attack.
Sure, Nunez is capable, but it's hard to break through defenses when the defense is fairly aware of the limited options the opposing offense puts on the field.
If you take away Nunez's big 47 yard run, he averaged just 3.1 yards per carry.
Shon Carson was the only other Gamecock with more than 40 yards rushing. He finished with 52 yards and a touchdown on eight carries.
South Carolina Pass Defense
South Carolina did its best to put Deshaun Watson under constant pressure, but teams have been trying to do that all season. The thing about Watson is that he feels the pressure and will torch the defense with his feet if the defense loses containment for even a moment.
Today, South Carolina's defense lost containment a lot.
South Carolina Run Defense
The Gamecocks gave up a whopping 236 yards and four touchdowns via the ground game, and that's not going to beat many teams—hence the 3-9 record.
The Gamecocks were able to come up with a pair of fumbles, and Skai Moore was involved on both plays. But despite the errors committed by Clemson, South Carolina had a difficult time capitalizing.
The defense for South Carolina, both facets—passing and running—is the critical weak spot for the Gamecocks. Unless SC's new head coach—whoever ends up with the permanent job—can quickly turn around the Gamecocks' prospects on defense, 2015 may not be the only down year SC fans will have to endure.
South Carolina Special Teams
Elliott Fry connected on one of his two field goal attempts and nailed all three of his extra points.
South Carolina also converted a two-point conversion, a run up the gut by Nunez.
Sean Kelly averaged 49.8 yards per punt on his five kicks, effectively flipping field position several times on Clemson, which struggled in the punting game today. That, as much as anything the offense did, also managed to keep the Gamecocks in the game.
South Carolina Coaching
It's hard to judge Shawn Elliott too harshly. He was shoved into the position, and he can only work with the tools Steve Spurrier left in the shed.
Unfortunately, Spurrier, who probably saw what was coming down the hill, didn't leave a ton of talent behind, and Elliott is left holding the bag.
But today was one of South Carolina's best efforts, if you can call a loss a good effort.
Elliott kept his team in the game from start to finish, and his players responded with some (occasionally) inspired play. While Elliott finishes the season with a 1-5 record, including an ugly loss to a team from the FCS—the first such loss for South Carolina in a quarter century.
That's not how you want to handle your six game tryout. But there were some glimmers of hope, and it would be a mistake if South Carolina didn't at least look long and hard at Elliott for the permanent job.
Unless otherwise noted, quotes or references to quotes were obtained firsthand by the writer.
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