Clemson beats South Carolina, 31-14

CLEMSON — As the final seconds ticked off the clock on Saturday, Clemson interim head coach Dabo Swinney was serenaded by most of the 81,500 fans on hand at Memorial Stadium.

“Dabo! Dabo! Dabo!” the crowd chanted as the Tigers put the finishing touches on a 31-14 victory against South Carolina.

“It was like Britney Spears or something,” Swinney said. “It was great. It was awesome. We’ve got great fans. … It’s very, very humbling when people give you credit … and appreciate something that you try to do.”

Swinney received the rock-star treatment after guiding Clemson to a remarkable turnaround in a roller-coaster season that started with championship expectations but became murky after the resignation of former head coach Tommy Bowden.

The Tigers (7-5 overall, 4-2 under Swinney) closed the regular season with three straight wins, including Saturday’s triumph against the Gamecocks that earned Clemson bowl eligibility.

“I’m so proud of our seniors and the rest of the team,” quarterback Cullen Harper said. “We could have quit six weeks ago, but nobody did. We just kept fighting and taking it one game at a time, and to finish like that is awesome.”

Harper, who completed 12 of 17 passes for 199 yards, helped break Saturday’s game open with a 50-yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Ford that boosted the Tigers lead to 17-0 midway through the second quarter.

After narrowly avoiding a sack by USC defensive end Jordin Lindsey, Harper heaved a pass to a wide-open Ford around the Gamecocks’ 30. Ford then juked past a USC defender inside the 20 and received a key block from former Byrnes High School standout Xavier Dye to reach the end zone and set off a wild celebration at Death Valley.

“Pretty much everything was going our way, and that (play) was just a big influence on the whole offense and defense,” Ford said.

Just over four minutes later, Clemson was ahead 24-0.

“It was a big play for us,” Harper said. “Jacoby made some great moves after he caught the ball, and I think that really kind of got us going.”

The Tigers scored 21 points off turnovers and another three off a blocked punt

“Clemson was the better team today,” USC head coach Steve Spurrier said. “They had the better coaches and players. The team we played today is an ACC championship (caliber) team. They thoroughly beat us. They have a great team and are playing better ball at the end of the year than we are.”

Clemson senior running back James Davis rushed for a game-high 91 yards on 24 carries and scored three touchdowns.

Davis put the Tigers ahead 7-0 late in the first quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run that capped a 10-play, 85-yard drive that began after the first of two interceptions by cornerback Chris Chancellor.

USC quarterback Chris Smelley completed 22 of 47 passes for 212 yards and threw four interceptions.

“Nobody wanted this win more than I did,” said Smelley, who played the entire game. “I feel pretty responsible. Coach (Spurrier) gave me the ball, and I felt as prepared for this game as any game all year. But I’ll take responsibility. I didn’t execute out there on the field.”

Still, Smelley helped get the Gamecocks (7-5) within striking distance early in the second half.

Smelley completed a 16-yard touchdown pass to fullback Patrick DiMarco just before halftime and got USC within 24-14 when he capped an 8-play, 69-yard drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass to tight end Wesleye Saunders early in the third quarter.

But the momentum shifted for good when Clemson stopped the Gamecocks three-and-out on their next offensive possession and responded with Davis’ third touchdown.

“We needed to make something happen on that drive,” Spurrier said. “We had the ball, and it was 24-14, and we were three (plays) and punt. (It became) difficult after that. We still had a chance, but they went and scored.”

Clemson running back C.J. Spiller finished with 16 carries for 88 rushing yards while adding three receptions for 25 yards.

Running back Mike Davis led USC with 17 rushes for 76 yards.

“(The fans) motivated us to go out there and play hard-nosed Clemson football, and that’s what we played today,” Chancellor said.

“We were the more physical team.”