The star of the 120th South Carolina-Clemson game was not one of the prolific quarterbacks, or any of the dynamic running backs.

Clemson kicker Jonathan Wetiz entered the night without a made field goal over 41 yards all year, then proceeded to make three over the mark to pace the Tigers to a 16-7 win.

The loss officially ended a valiant but ultimately unsuccessful bid for a bowl game as South Carolina (5-7) responded from a 2-6 start with three straight wins to set up an opportunity to reach the postseason before Saturday’s loss. It is the first time in the Shane Beamer era the Gamecocks will not be heading to a bowl game,

A night riddled with wretched vibes for the Gamecocks started in the worst possible way when Clemson (8-4) scored a defensive touchdown on the second play from scrimmage. Spencer Rattler’s quick throw to Xavier Legette in the flat was ruled a lateral, rendering Legette’s ensuing drop a fumble instead of an incomplete pass. Nobody on the field reacted except Clemson nickel Khalil Barnes.

He had the easiest end zone jaunt of his life, a 42-yard fumble return that shell-shocked a sellout and charted the course for Clemson. Rattler’s next play was an interception on a deep shot to Legette and even though that specific turnover did not come back to bite the Gamecocks, it was symptomatic of a disastrous offensive performance.

The lone highlight of the night was the third offensive possession, an 81-yard march that included the best of South Carolina’s offense from an explosive Mario Anderson Jr. run to a Rattler scramble and two completions to Legette. On fourth-and-goal from inside the one, Luke Doty capped off a double reverse by making lemonade out of lemons with a darting run that covered far more ground than the box score indicated.

At 7-7 it felt like a game again, but not for long.

Total yardage gaps do not always tell the full story, but across the second and third quarters Clemson outgained South Carolina 197-2.

Seven consecutive punts following the touchdown drive slowly sucked the oxygen out of a once-spirited crowd as Clemson continued to clamp down on a helpless offense one free running blitzer and tightly-covered desperation pass at a time.

The final line was ugly as you would expect given the totals. Rattler’s historic season crashed to a thud in the biggest spot, a 16-of-32 passing game wit just 112 yards that lacked any sort of flow or rhythm. Anderson's season of emergence as the top running back yielded just 35 yards on 13 carries. Clemson on the other hand rushed for 221 yards, 121 in the second half to salt it away.

And when Dabo Swinney sent his punting unit on the field facing fourth-and-1 in plus territory early in the fourth quarter, it told the entire story. No fear of South Carolina’s offense, no threat on the other side.

Swinney was correct in his lack of concern, and now the Gamecocks will enter the malaise of the off-season full of questions off by far the worst season of the Beamer era so far.

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