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CLEMSON – Jake Bentley said earlier this week that he did not allow himself to think of the past as regards his record against Clemson. The South Carolina quarterback has instead insisted that he tackle this game of rivalry as he does for any other match. The rest would work against number 2 Clemson, he said.
"I'm trying to take every game by myself and not think about what's going to happen," he said before the 116th edition of the Clemson-South Carolina football game. "We need to address the mentality with this is the 2018 Carolina team against the 2018 Clemson team, and just go from there."
But Bentley certainly knew before the 56-35 defeat against Gamemocks against Clemson on Saturday night that his previous performances against the Tigers were a blemish on his otherwise solid record. He should also know that this group of Gamecocks should remedy imbalanced defeats as soon as possible if he wanted to consolidate his collective heritage as he would like later.
Saturday – as long as Bentley did his part and undeniably answered questions about his ability to run for big matches – would not be that night.
The exit belonged rather to Clemson, the Tigers converting a seven-point lead into a 21-point victory and winning their fifth consecutive win against the Gamecocks for the first time since 1940.
Clemson is undefeated in the regular season for the seventh time in his history and the Tigers' seniors will graduate without losing to South Carolina, although the Gamecocks were much closer than expected with an exhausted team.
"First of all, I want to give credit to South Carolina." They clashed in. They scored four touchdowns, but they continued to compete, "said Clemson coach Dabo Swinney. , at ESPN. "Defensively, obviously disappointed in our passes, but at the end of the match, that's why we're looking for a way to win."
Indeed, the credit goes to Bentley for his moxie and his receivers for playing big games. The stylish duo Deebo Samuel-Shi Smith was a huge problem for Clemson's defense, which would frustrate defense coordinator Brent Venables for days to come.
Bentley had more yards against Clemson than any other South Carolina quarterback in the history of this series, recording a career record of 510 yards and five touchdowns. The Gamecocks played brilliantly, going as far as fourth and goal in the first half, and Bentley organized a clinic on how to torch the Tigers on the ball in depth, representing 90 of the 600 yards alone. out of 600. offense.
However, Clemson's attack came up against a decimated South Carolina defense, both on the run and in the run, and Clemson's defense had two clear scoring positions despite a jerky night since high school
Clemson rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence played his first rivalry match in his university career, hooked on Bentley and accomplished the same feat on his side as Bentley. With a career high of 393 yards and a touchdown, Lawrence has now raised more yards in a single game against the Gamecocks than any other Clemson quarterback before him, including Deshaun Watson.
"We came here to win the game, we did not do the work," said South Carolina coach Will Muschamp. "We're a bit short of defense, and at one point I think we had six real first-year students in the field."
Clemson's offensives also saw Adam Choice score three times, Travis Etienne twice and Tavien Feaster a goal as the Tigers racked up 351 yards. Etienne led the way with 150 yards in 28 races and dominated the ground game, an area in which the Gamecocks struggled. South Carolina finished the night with just 90 yards rushing, including Bentley's iminus-20 as Clemson's defensive line was nagging him all night.
As both teams advance with their respective seasons, everything is still ahead of Clemson. The Tigers are one win away from their fourth consecutive college playoff bid as they prepare to face Pittsburgh in what should be a one-way match of the ACC championship next week to Charlotte.
The Gamecocks host Akron in Colombia in a hurricane makeup game and are about to get a season of seven wins under Muschamp to make them eligible again.
"It's a state championship, the goal at the start of the day was to win this game, next week is the ACC Championship, but we're going to enjoy it tonight," said Swinney. "There are not many teams 12-0, and it is one of them."
Follow Grace Raynor on Twitter @gmraynor
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