South Carolina's defense dominated Clemson throughout this rivalry matchup, forcing three turnovers while the Gamecocks' offense clicked efficiently behind Stephen Garcia's arm. Clemson struck first with a 45-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Parker to DeAndre Hopkins in the first quarter, but South Carolina answered immediately with a touchdown drive capped by Garcia's 5-yard scoring pass to Patrick DiMarco. The Gamecocks then took control, with Garcia connecting on two more touchdown passes to Alshon Jeffery in the second quarter to build a commanding lead. Clemson's offense sputtered throughout, managing only 251 total yards and three turnovers, including a critical first-quarter fumble at their own 5-yard line that set up South Carolina's second touchdown. South Carolina's defense sealed the victory with Antonio Allen's interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter, and the Gamecocks cruised to a 29-7 win to retain the belt.
Written by Claude from the box score and play-by-play on this page — a plain-English recap of the numbers below, not a substitute for them.