South Carolina Football: Six Best Wins of the Decade
By Jacob Elsey
CLEMSON 2012
South Carolina entered the annual rivalry game versus Clemson on a three-game series winning streak, but the Tigers came in looking for revenge.
Things seemed to be setting up nicely for the Tigers to end the streak. Clemson was 10-1 and ranked 11th in the country. The Gamecocks had lost twice and stood ranked 12th in the polls. The game was being played in Memorial Stadium and the Gamecocks learned that starting quarterback Connor Shaw wasn’t going to suit up after suffering a foot injury in his previous matchup against Wofford.
The Clemson defense didn’t account for Dylan Thompson, though. Thompson tossed three touchdown passes on his was to 300-yard performance. The Gamecock defense locked down Tahj Boyd and Co. as Jadeveon Clowney broke the program’s single-season sack record with a 4.5 sack showing.
The game remained close into the fourth quarter, before Thompson led the final game-sealing touchdown drive. With the Tigers still only down a score, they needed one final stop to keep the game within reach. Facing a 3rd-and-19, Thompson scrambled for a first down on a quarterback keeper to break the Clemson defense’s back. He’d throw his final touchdown pass three plays later.
The Gamecocks came out of Death Valley with a 27-17 win, their fourth-straight in the series. It was the longest winning streak South Carolina had accumulated against the Tigers since the early 1950s.