Hoping to extend their flawless record, the No. 1 Clemson Tigers (11-0) travel to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks (3-8). The SEC’s second-leading receiver, Pharoh Cooper (887 yards, 7 TDs), and the ACC’s leading passer, Deshaun Watson (2,936 yards, 26 TDs), will be featured in this game. It starts at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov 28 and will be available on ESPN.
In last week’s matchup, South Carolina got nipped by Citadel 23-22. Pharoh Cooper had a huge game in the loss, pulling in 11 receptions for 191 yards and one TD. Jerell Adams had a great game as well, adding 105 receiving yards on six catches. Clemson is hoping for another victory like last week’s performance, when it smashed Wake Forest 33-13. Deshaun Watson had a good performance through the air for the Tigers, connecting on 24 of 35 pass attempts for 343 yards, three TDs and two interceptions. Germone Hopper also had a great game with 120 receiving yards and a TD on three catches.
Clemson is a 15-point favorite in this game against the Gamecocks.
Sitting at 3-8 Straight Up (SU) and 5-5 Against The Spread (ATS), the Gamecocks will look to improve heading into Week 13. In their five most recent matchups, the Gamecocks went 1-4 SU and 3-2 ATS. South Carolina has made opposing defenses pay lately, averaging 248.8 passing yards per game over the last five weeks, higher than its season average of 206.3 yards. During their last five games, the Gamecocks gave up 189.6 passing yards per game.
In the other locker room, the Tigers head into Week 13 with records of 5-6 ATS and 11-0 SU. Chances are Clemson will rely on its run game against a defense that allows 215.7 rushing yards per game, ranking 114th in the nation. Moving on to the Clemson defense, there are certain areas where it measures up well against the Gamecocks. Clemson’s pass defense ranks third in the nation. This frightening group gives up just 155.4 yards per game through the air. The Tigers have been embarrassing their opponents’ offensive lines this year. Clemson’s defense ranks 14th in the country with an average of 2.9 sacks per game. Teams need to stay focused in the first quarter against the fast-starting Tigers, who average 12.8 points in the first 15 minutes. When Clemson’s offense hits the field, they like to pick up the pace. With an average of 78.1, the team ranks 17th in the country for number of plays per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Clemson, ATS Winner – Clemson
Notes
South Carolina is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games.
South Carolina is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games at home.
South Carolina is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home.
South Carolina is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Clemson.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of South Carolina’s last 5 games when playing Clemson.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of South Carolina’s last 5 games when playing at home against Clemson.
Clemson is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against South Carolina.
Clemson is 10-0 SU when leading at the half this season.
Clemson is undefeated this season (5-0 SU) in games where it wins the turnover battle.
The South Carolina defense has forced an average of 2.0 turnovers over its last five games, but Clemson is a perfect 7-0 SU this season when turning the ball over at least 2.0 times in a game.
