Shaw stars, Boyd flops
Clemson's 34-13 loss to South Carolina essentially boiled down to one position — quarterback.
Specifically, the Tigers couldn't stop USC's Connor Shaw while their own signal caller, Tajh Boyd, was unproductive.
"Defensively, the quarterback beat us," said Clemson coach Dabo Swinney. "That's the most disappointing thing to me coming out of this game — that we let the quarterback beat us. We knew exactly what they were going to do, and we couldn't stop it."
Clemson has struggled this season against mobile quarterbacks. Against Maryland, the Tigers allowed 162 yards rushing and 177 yards passing to quarterback C.J. Brown. Similarly, Georgia Tech quarterback Tevin Washington tallied 176 yards rushing and 60 yards passing. Shaw was able to have one of his most prolific performances against the Tigers' defense, passing for 207 yards while rushing for 107 yards with no turnovers. Shaw did most of his damage running the ball in the first half, racking up 80 yards and a touchdown.
"Connor Shaw did a great job with his feet in the first half," said Clemson defensive end Kourtnei Brown. "I felt like we dialed in the second half, but it was just too late."
Shaw's running ability was especially challenging for the Tigers on third-down situations, as he was able to convert three third downs with his legs in the first half.
"We had them in some get-off-the-field situations, but their quarterback scrambles around and we don't get it," Swinney said. "We don't block. We had a couple chances to make the tackle and we don't make the tackle. [Shaw] was a huge factor. He was the difference in the game."
As a much as Shaw made the difference for the Gamecocks, Boyd "never really had a chance," Swinney said. Despite the struggles, Boyd did set the Clemson record for passing touchdowns in a single season with 28 and touchdown responsibility with 31.
"He was on his back or running for his life all night," Swinney said. "I think he made some good throws that were dropped. I think he had a couple of busts that would've been good plays, and we had some guys just not do their job. I would definitely say he played better tonight then he did up in Raleigh — that's for sure. He didn't have much of a chance tonight."
Boyd was sacked five times throughout the night and hit often, starting with the opening snap. Though Boyd said he needs to be more confident in his line and not immediately run out of the pocket, Swinney credited a variety of reasons that the offensive line played poorly.
"It's a combination of a lot of things," Swinney said. "Obviously, coaching is a part of it. Injuries are a part of it. Poor technique is a part of it. Poor fundamentals. Poor communication. There are a lot of things that lead to a missed assignment. They whipped us — opening snap, we get sacked on a corner blitz that we've got max protection to side right into it, and we don't slide to the corner. We're just not playing very smart."
Watkins' health not factor: Swinney said freshman wide receiver Sammy Watkins played at full speed the entire game, instead crediting the South Carolina defense for Watkins' uncharacteristic performance.
Watkins did not play the week prior against N.C. State after suffering a shoulder sprain.
Watkins, who set the Clemson career record for games with 150 receiving yards or more with 10 this season, finished with just 39 yards against USC. He also dropped a would-be touchdown pass on Clemson's second drive.
"We had some uncharacteristic drops from our guys that makes a difference in the field position and the opportunities to move the chains," Swinney said. "Missed plays early, hurt us."
USC associate head coach for defense Ellis Johnson expressed pride in his secondary's coverage performance but said he felt Watkins was not at full strength.
Price replaced early on offensive line: After suffering a knee sprain against Wake Forest, starting offensive tackle Philip Price started the game for the Tigers but was replaced early on.
"We gave up the sack right there out of the gate, and we had another play, and he felt like he could go, but (offensive line coach) Robbie (Caldwell) just didn't feel like he was kicking like he needed to," Swinney said. "That was disappointing because we really felt like he was going to be able to play. I know Philip is disappointed and wanted to go back in. We're going to try to get him ready for this week, and maybe it's a blessing for him. He'll be much further along than he was tonight."
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