Streak Snapped!

Five years of anger, frustration, annoyance and repeatedly hearing chants of "GAME.....COCKS!!" after I walked out of both Death Valley and Williams Brice FINALLY came to an end Saturday afternoon. Deshaun Watson and his host of outstanding freshmen along with the #1 defense in the nation finally got back on the winning side of the Palmetto Bowl, knocking off Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks 35-17. In the process they gave South Carolina their 6th loss on the season and snapped the five game losing streak in the annual rivalry game. Behind yet another impressive defensive performance and a record breaking day from Clemson freshmen Deshaun Watson, Artavis Scott and Wayne Gallman, the Tigers ran past Carolina and celebrated their first win in the series since 2008 in exciting and convincing fashion.

"Clemson was better than us.

"They were better than us today. They played better, they coached better...and we got beat. Simple as that. They are a real good team...give those guys credit, they were just better than us, " a clearly frustrated Spurrier told reporters following Saturday's loss which might keep the Gamecocks home for the holidays. It just seemed to be the Tiger's day and turn to get back on the winning side. They came up big time after time on 3rd down holding the Gamecocks to 6-15 on 3rd down and 1-3 on 4th down while also forcing a turnover which was turned into a touchdown for the guys in orange. A switch of roles to what has been the story of this game in the five previous meetings. Dylan Thompson had pressure nearly every snap he dropped back to pass and the defense just played relentless and simply would not be denied Saturday. The coaching staff put together and executed a great game plan and set the tone for a big day for the ACC which went 4-0 against its SEC rivals Saturday.

Watson came up big for his team playing on what we later found out was a torn ACL the entire game. You surely couldn't tell and his teammates did their part to help him out and take the pressure off. Artavis Scott finished the day with 7 receptions for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns, both went for over 50 yards. Wayne Gallman continued to be a force in the running game accounting for 191 yards and 1 touchdown on 7 carries. You can't say enough about the offensive line that paved the way for 491 yards of total offense on the day and didn't give up a single sack on the afternoon. Not sure the last time that could be said about the Tigers. Watson was all smiles after the game "It feels good to be State Champions," he said. Behind the performance of  the freshmen trio of Watson, Gallman and Scott the future looks bright for the Tigers and they could be gearing up to rattle off a little win streak of their own in the rivalry.

Clemson held the Gamecocks to their lowest point total this season...the same offense that dropped 35 against both Georgia at home and on the road at Auburn. It was an all around team effort that led to a dominating outcome and satisfying win to stop the bleeding and nightmares that have haunted the Tigers the past few years. It was an absolutely beautiful day in Tigertown and it was quite the electric atmosphere in a packed-out Death Valley. It wasn't all great news Saturday though. With the ACL injury, Watson will need surgery once the season is over and will be out until Summer Camp however he should be okay to play for the bowl game. He will again have to wear a brace but has been told he can't cause any more damage so as long as he can play through the pain, he should see the field when the Tigers head to their bowl game destination. That location is to be determined but will likely be in Orlando.

In addition, Chad Morris is expected to take the head coaching job at SMU and be officially announced as the new coach sometime Monday according to reports out of Dallas Sunday afternoon. That means that Jeff Scott will likely serve as the offensive coordinator for the bowl game and possibly moving forward. He has been Morris' understudy the past few years and has been prepared to run the system as we all knew that this day was coming. It looks like it has arrived so it will be interesting to see if Dabo looks internally to fill the position or makes it a national search. While Morris will be missed he opens up A LOT of money for the Tigers to go make another home run hire and hopefully keep their top ten ranking recruiting class in-tact. For now its time to enjoy this win and celebrate beating the Gamecocks in dominating fashion...just like the old days. All is right with the world and order has been restored in the state of South Carolina. The Tiger seniors took their final bow in Death Valley and will leave Clemson has one of the winningest classes in program history with a BCS Bowl victory and wins over numerous top 15 teams. Glad to reclaim OUR state. Clemson Football......We. Too. Deep.