South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers crushes Clemson’s CFP hopes with a 17-14 road win

No. 12 Clemson’s hopes of making the College Football Playoff fade after a 17-14 home loss to No. 15 South Carolina. The Gamecocks clinched the victory with two great touchdown runs from South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers.

South Carolina took a three-point lead after Sellers attempted a 20-yard touchdown run with just over a minute left. On one final drive, Clemson moved the ball down the field and had a chance to score, but quarterback Cade Klubnik threw an interception that sealed the game for the Gamecocks.

After a difficult first quarter that included a South Carolina fumble on the first drive and Clemson turning over on downs, the Tigers struck first with a touchdown in the second quarter. But the Gamecocks followed with a touchdown of their own. Sellers ran the ball 25 yards into the end zone, making the score 7-7.

Clemson then opened the second half with another touchdown to take a 14-7 lead. Klubnik also ran for both of Clemson’s touchdowns and accumulated 62 total rushing yards.

A chaotic third quarter saw back-to-back turnovers for both teams, with the Gamecocks fumbling the ball first and the Tigers going for it right after. Early in the fourth quarter, Clemson safety Khalil Barnes fended off Sellers to give the Tigers the ball back, but the team was forced to punt after a three-pointer.

South Carolina then overcame the seven-point deficit with a field goal, and then Sellers played hero for another touchdown, finding the hole in the defense and deflecting two tackles to get into the end zone. Sellers finished the game with 16 carries while throwing for more rushing yards (166) than throwing yards (164).

The loss drops Clemson, already in the CFP bubble, to 9-3 and could find itself on the underdog list this postseason.