Clemson’s nation-leading 40-game home win streak was snapped on Saturday, losing 31-30 to rival South Carolina, in an error-filled performance that effectively eliminated the Tigers from College Football Playoff contention.
The home winning streak was an ACC record, and was the longest since Nebraska won 47 consecutive from 1991 to 1997. Amazing how Clemson blew a 23-14 halftime lead. (Clemson’s CFP Hopes Dashed As Tigers Fall To South Carolina)
According to ESPN Stats & Information Research, Clemson was 60–0 at home under Dabo Swinney when leading by nine points or more at halftime.
Meanwhile, South Carolina beat back-to-back ranked opponents, defeating Tennessee last week and now Clemson, their first win in a rivalry game since 2013.
Swinney Said That South Carolina “Won It Handily” With The Victory.
“Today wasn’t just our day. It was his day,” said Swinney. “This is football. You have to take the good with the bad. It’s an incredibly disappointing day, but we’ve won seven in a row. You can’t take that away. We’ve lost two home games since Florida State 2013. So it’s a bad day. But we’ll be back on Monday and we’ll move on.” (Clemson’s CFP Hopes Dashed As Tigers Fall To South Carolina)
The No. 8 Tigers entered the game with a long shot at making the playoffs, but the truth is this team hasn’t looked like a playoff contender all season. Once again, quarterback DJ Uigallei struggled, going 8 of 29 for 99 yards and a touchdown with one interception as South Carolina harassed him throughout the game. The only thing Clemson had going for them on offense was running back Will Shipley, who ran for 132 yards and a touchdown.
But with the game at the end, South Carolina managed to pin Clemson several times and Uaglielli didn’t complete very well offensively. (Clemson’s CFP Hopes Dashed As Tigers Fall To South Carolina)
Clemson had another chance to get the ball back late, but Antonio Williams missed a punt with 2 minutes, 5 seconds remaining. South Carolina rallied and held on for the win. Clemson had 86 total yards in the second half.
The Tigers had three total turnovers and this allowed South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler to make several big plays throughout the passing game. Rattler threw for 360 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. (Clemson’s CFP Hopes Dashed As Tigers Fall To South Carolina)
Swinney said, “We have more good days than bad. We don’t always have the right to go our way.”
Unlike other games this season where Uigalelli struggled, Swinney opted to stick with him and did not turn to substitute Cade Klubnick.
Clemson offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter stated that there was never a strong idea to replace the quarterback in the game.
Swinney noted field position and other errors worked against Uigallei. The Tigers had three knockdowns in the game, the second most in one game this year.
Swinney said, “Some bad calls, some missed shots. That’s football.” “It’s really cool when you find a rhythm and sometimes it’s hard to sled when it doesn’t click for you.”
When asked if there would be an open quarterback contest before the ACC Championship Game, Swinney said he was not going to participate.
Swinney must now find a way to get his team focused on what lies ahead: Saturday’s ACC title game against North Carolina. This is the first time since 2012 that both teams entered the championship game on the back of a loss, which takes some of the shine out of this matchup.
Clemson didn’t win the ACC last year, so the Tigers would have a title. Although he has defended Uigalelli throughout, there will be valid questions to answer about his quarterback position going forward.
“We’re 10–2. We’re not 2–10. It’s been a tough, painful day,” Swinney said. “We all know how important this game is, but it’s absolutely our responsibility to help them move forward, lift them up, put some wind back in their sails. It’s always what lies ahead. A lot of people, Their season is over, but for us, we have a championship game this week and a chance to be on top of the ACC, and that’s always been a goal for us.”
