South Carolina football grades vs. Clemson: Shane Beamer is back

CLEMSON — One week after one of the biggest upsets in South Carolina football history, the Gamecocks earned arguably an even bigger one, beating rival Clemson, ranked No. 8 in the country, 31-30 at the Tigers’ Memorial Stadium.

It was the first win for the Gamecocks' (8-4) over Clemson (10-2) since 2013. They trailed until early in the fourth quarter when they took a one-point lead on a 35-yard field goal from kicker Mitch Jeter.

South Carolina’s victory ended the Tigers’ seven-game winning streak in the Palmetto Bowl and prevented a record-breaking eighth consecutive victory. In coach Shane Beamer’s first season at the helm in 2021, the Gamecocks were shut out 30-0 by Clemson at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Here's how we graded the performance:

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Offense: B+

South Carolina was up against one of the best defensive lines in college football against the Tigers, and it showed. Quarterback Spencer Rattler rarely had a clean pocket and was hurried five times with one sack. The Oklahoma transfer had a rollercoaster performance, throwing an interception returned for a touchdown and an interception in the end zone in the first half. However, he bounced back to finish with his second-best passing performance of the season, going 25-for-39 for 360 yards and three touchdowns.

James Madison transfer Antwane Wells Jr. had another huge receiving performance after Josh Vann exited in the first quarter with a sprained left knee. Wells finished with 131 yards on nine receptions, including a 72-yard touchdown catch.

Defense: B+

The Gamecocks' defense struggled again against Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei's dual-threat capability in the first half, but it made the necessary adjustments at halftime as it has for so much of the season. Uiagalelei, who finished with 99 yards passing and 51 yards rushing, logged just nine yards rushing after halftime and threw his first interception after a handful of near-misses to Gamecocks defensive back Marcellus Dial in the fourth quarter.

Special teams: A+

Kai Kroeger continued his Heisman Trophy campaign with another elite punting performance. He hit four of his seven punts more than 50 yards, five of seven inside the 20-yard line and added a longest punt of 63 yards.

The unit also recovered well after top returner Josh Vann exited in the first quarter with a knee sprain. Ahmarean Brown set up the Gamecocks' first scoring drive of the second half with a 37-yard return to the Clemson 26-yard line.

Coaching: A

South Carolina's coaching decisions were imperfect, but they were necessarily bold. The Gamecocks leaned into their passing game offensively after its success last week against Tennessee and took deep shots, from the 65-yard fourth-down conversion to Juju McDowell to a 72-yard touchdown pass to Wells that set the Gamecocks up to take over the lead. For the second week in a row, South Carolina came in with an aggressive plan and executed it.

Overall: A

Back-to-back upsets over top-10 opponents as an unranked team is no small feat. The future is bright for South Carolina football under Shane Beamer with this kind of end to the season.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina football grades vs. Clemson: Shane Beamer is back