Clemson snags devastating tip-drill pick-6 to put South Carolina away in Palmetto Bowl
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Clemson made sure LaNorris Sellers wasn’t going to do it to the Tigers again.
Last season, Sellers attached a signature play to his breakout freshman season with a dramatic touchdown run that sealed South Carolina‘s victory at Clemson. But this time around in Columbia, it was Sellers making the crucial mistake that sealed the Gamecocks’ fate in the Palmetto Bowl.
With South Carolina backed up at its own 5-yard line late in the 4th quarter, Sellers had a chance to break Clemson’s heart again. The Gamecocks only trailed the Tigers, 20-14, so it was still a 1-score game. That changed quickly though, in crushing fashion for South Carolina and thrilling fashion for Clemson, which performed the best tip-drill pick-6 you’ll ever see in sealing Saturday’s rivalry showdown.
Sellers threw a pass over the middle, which was deflected by Clemson cornerback Ashton Hampton, right into the waiting hands of safety Ricardo Jones, who took it 12 yards the other way for a touchdown and a 26-14 lead with just 3:20 left. The Tigers converted a 2-point conversion after that, making it 28-14.
That was the final score, and here was the play that made sure Sellers would be silenced late by Clemson this time around:
The rivalry game loss completed a forgettable 4-8 season for a South Carolina team that was ranked early in the year.
Meanwhile, Clemson clinched a winning season by getting to 7-5, although the Tigers were also ranked to begin the season and underachieved like their big in-state rival.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
