CLEMSON, S.C. — LaNorris Sellers. That’s it and that’s all. He was the beginning, the middle, and for Clemson’s playoff hopes, perhaps the end.
South Carolina’s swaggering signal-caller played the game of his life and led the type of drive that will earn him statues, nicknames, and free drinks for life in Columbia, as the redshirt freshman led the Gamecocks on a 75-yard touchdown march in the fourth quarter to steal an improbable 17-14 smash and grab win at rival Clemson.
After a false start backed South Carolina up to third-and–15 at the Clemson 20 with just over a minute to go, Sellers did what he had all day. Escaped a sack, slipped through multiple tacklers, and made a play.
This one the biggest of all. A 20-yard scramble with 1:08 on the clock, the type of legendary play that lives in program lore forever and cements Sellers as a program icon for decades to come in Columbia.
But even after the steal, there was still one more bit of drama. Clemson drove down into the South Carolina red zone in the final minute, needing a field goal to tie or a touchdown to win. But with under 20 seconds to go, a second-and-10 Cade Klubnik passed was tipped. Senior linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. came up with it, a game-sealing interception in the most improbable of circumstances.
After trailing for nearly the entire game before the final minute, turning it over three times, and spending most of the afternoon completely at the mercy of a dominant Clemson defensive front, the Gamecocks found the offense just in time.
Sellers finished his heroic afternoon with 164 passing yards and 166 rushing yards, including both touchdowns on the ground after he started the scoring for South Carolina with a first-half rushing touchdown. Both Clemson touchdowns came on the ground as well thanks to Klubnik, and most of the success for the Tigers in the game was on the ground with 139 rushing yards.
Both defenses shined, in a game that was tied at just 7-7 at halftime, and found points to be a premium asset throughout. Clemson struck first, with a 13-yard rushing touchdown in the 2nd quarter from Cade Klubnik after he hit a couple of early deep shots in one-on-one coverage. Still, Sellers responded on the next drive, a preview of what was to come when the chips were down for the Gamecocks, putting together a 25-yard rushing touchdown himself a few minutes later.
Klubnik added another rushing touchdown on Clemson's opening drive of the 2nd half, but that was the Tigers' only second-half score, with K Alex Herrera adding the game-deciding difference early in the 4th quarter before Sellers finished the job in the final minutes for the second straight game against P4 opponent.
While South Carolina still needs some help to extend their season in the playoffs, Gamecock fans will forever remember when RS Freshman LaNorris Sellers willed his team to victory in Death Valley, overcoming turnovers, untimely penalties, and a stout Clemson defense. Now time will tell what further heights are yet to be submitted for the QB who Beamer called "the best player in the country" after the game.
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