Inside the numbers of Clemson's win, total domination of the rivalry

Swinney tries to console Shane Beamer Saturday night (Photo by Merrell Mann).

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sun Nov 26 13:16:03 GMT-04:00 2023

I was sitting in the press box when I heard a stat that was so startling that I had to go back and make sure it was right. It was just one stat that bears mentioning following Clemson’s victory over South Carolina on Saturday in the annual rivalry game.

Clemson defeated South Carolina 16-7 for its eighth win in nine games of the rivalry – a dominating streak, to be sure – but that doesn’t begin to tell the story of just how dominant the Tigers were on defense or just how one-sided the rivalry has been.

So, let’s get started.

*South Carolina’s first two drives ended with a fumble and an interception, and then the Gamecocks rattled off a 12-play, 81-yard drive that ended in their lone touchdown. Their next eight drives ended in punts, and the ninth ended in a turnover on downs.

Only once in those final nine drives did the Gamecocks breach Clemson’s side of the field, which was all the way to the … Clemson 49. That’s right, in their last nine drives, the high-water mark was just across midfield. Five of those drives were three-and-outs. The next seven drives after the TD saw the Gamecocks gain exactly one yard.

*South Carolina had 92 yards of total offense in the first quarter, minus 6 in the second quarter, and eight in the third quarter. That’s right, South Carolina had two total yards of offense in the second and third quarters. In desperation mode and the Tigers playing a little looser on defense in the fourth quarter, the Gamecocks managed 75 yards.

*The Gamecocks averaged five plays per drive on the night with an average time of possession of 1:49. They also averaged just 14 yards per drive. The average distance to go on third down was 8.5 yards.

*Clemson surrendered only 169 total yards, its fewest surrendered in its series with South Carolina since 1989 (155).

*South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler was held to a 79.3 pass efficiency rating, the lowest of any start of his career.

*How dominant has Clemson’s defense been in Columbia? Let’s look at the last four trips to Williams Brice.

2023 - 7 points allowed, 169 yards of offense, two turnovers, one touchdown allowed.

2021 - 0 points allowed, 206 yards of offense, two turnovers, no touchdowns.

2019- 3 points allowed, 174 yards of offense, one turnover, no touchdowns.

2017 - 10 points allowed, 207 yards of total offense, two turnovers, one touchdown allowed.

That means Clemson’s defense has scored as many touchdowns (2) as the Gamecock offense in Columbia since 2017.

In those last four visits, the Gamecocks are averaging 5 points per game and 189 yards per game.

*Clemson earned its 300th road win in school history.

*Clemson has won eight of nine in the series and 24 out of the last 36. That’s also 18 out of the last 26 since 1996.

*Clemson improved to 73-43-4 all-time against South Carolina. Clemson’s 73 all-time wins against South Carolina are the program’s most against any opponent.

*Clemson moved its all-time road record against South Carolina to 54-32-3. Clemson’s 54 road wins at South Carolina are double its most all-time road wins against any other opponent, as Clemson’s second-most road wins against an opponent are 27 at Wake Forest. The Tigers have more road wins against the Gamecocks in Columbia (54) than they have total wins against all but three programs (South Carolina, 72; Wake Forest, 71; and NC State, 60)

*Clemson has now earned a fifth straight road win against South Carolina for the first time since defeating the Gamecocks on the road six straight times across the 1989-99 seasons.

*Here is the stat I had to look up to make sure it was right. South Carolina has beaten Clemson exactly five times in Williams-Brice Stadium since 1987. (1987, 2001, 2009, 2011, 2013). Add in 1979, and it’s just six times since 1979. If you’re a Gamecock fan, and you were born in 1976, you’ve seen your Gamecocks beat Clemson in Columbia precisely six times. And three of those came in a six-year period.

*Head coach Dabo Swinney earned Clemson’s 54th all-time road win against South Carolina on the week of his 54th birthday.