3 Things We Learned: Clemson 31, South Carolina 14

CLEMSON

The Tigers have a bit more guts than most anybody gave them credit for. Left for dead after a horrid start to a season brimming with expectations and constantly hearing what a soft squad they possessed, Clemson was the more physical squad Saturday, seizing early momentum and letting it go for only a brief period at the end of the first half and start of the second.

Defensive coordinator Vic Koenning continued his reputation as one heck of a gameplanner, taking away tight end Jared Cook, who figured to a major mismatch for the Tigers and a catalyst for the USC offense. Despite the absence of its best pass rusher — Ricky Sapp — Clemson got just enough heat on quarterback Chris Smelley and clogged up the running lanes to force Smelley to try to beat them through the air.

This is a lesson learned on a weekly basis, but anybody associated with Clemson’s program should lock away tailback C.J. Spiller following the bowl game and hide the key until next season’s kickoff. Spiller was once again by far the most talented player on the field, leaving defenders and fans breathless with each touch of the ball. He never found the end zone, but his 199 all-purpose yards certainly helped pave the way for those who did.

Either there’s some behind the scenes stuff going on or redshirt freshman Stephen Garcia was very ill. Or he only knows about three pages of the team’s playbook. Coach Steve Spurrier’s insistence on going with turnover machine Chris Smelley the entire way had to cause plenty of consternation among USC fans.

The Gamecocks’ defense appears to have randomly lost a step during the season’s home stretch. Allowing 56 points to superior Florida is one thing, but getting pushed around following a bye week by a Clemson attack that’s been average at best was stunning. Of course USC’s offense set up the defense for failure with crucial turnovers.

South Carolina’s offense line is worse than the much-maligned group from Clemson. USC once again was unable to muster much of a ground attack against a Clemson defense allowing 131 rushing yards per game. While Smelley got decent time to throw at times, he also spent a good deal of the day under pressure, which didn’t help his already shaky decision-making.