Clemson toasted, burnt, whooped, etc. by Carolina
The Clemson Tigers got their collective butts whooped by the University of South Carolina Gamecocks today. Clemson started off strong with a kickoff return touchdown, but things really got ugly from that point on.
Here’s the preliminary from ESPN:
Clemson’s momentum and six-game winning streak came to a screeching halt.
C.J. Spiller’s Heisman hopes took a serious hit.
And Clemson suddenly looked like the team we’re all-too familiar with — losing a game it was expected to win.
South Carolina shut the Tigers down in a 34-17 win, leaving a lot of work for the Tigers to do heading into their ACC championship game against Georgia Tech. Aside from Spiller’s 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown on the opening play of the game, Clemson’s offense was stagnant. Spiller finished with a fumble, 18 yards rushing, and 19 yards receiving. Not exactly numbers that will get you to New York. Spiller needed a big performance in a big game, and he didn’t get it. Part of that can be attributed to the fact that Clemson’s offensive line didn’t get the job done up front.
This was a game in which the ACC should’ve had the upper hand on the SEC. Instead, the Tigers took a step backwards with interceptions, penalties and fumbles, and didn’t look like a conference champion. They won’t be if they play like that next week.