Skip to main content
South Carolina
Join Now

National reactions from South Carolina's rivalry loss to Clemson

Screenshotby: Kevin Miller4 hours agokevinmillerGC

On Saturday, South Carolina football lost to the rival Clemson Tigers, 28-14. The Gamecocks had two long touchdowns but couldn’t add any other points to the scoreboard. They also turned the ball over four times on offense and gave up far too many chunk plays on defense.

With the loss, South Carolina’s season ended with a 4-8 overall record and a 1-7 mark in SEC play.

There were plenty of national reactions to the Gamecocks’ defeat.

The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina football!

Mike Bratton of That SEC Podcast said that Clemson’s late defensive touchdown was a microcosm of the South Carolina season. The Gamecocks had a chance to go win the game but had a combination of poor execution and weird luck lead to a back-breaking moment. On the first play of a potential game-winning drive, LaNorris Sellers’ perhaps ill-advised pass to Nyck Harbor was tipped into the air and picked off. Safety Ricardo Jones made the easy return for the touchdown and effectively ended the contest. The score also meant that Carolina had been outscored in the fourth quarter for the ninth time this season.

680 The Fan’s Barrett Sallee, before the game was over, declared that South Carolina was one of the most disappointing teams in the country in 2025. Considering the team’s seemingly realistic College Football Playoff aspirations this offseason, Sallee was correct.

Get GamecockCentral for $1 your first week. As a bonus, your membership includes a complimentary year of The Athletic.

Following a three-drive start for each team, there had been two turnovers and four punts. However, the next four drives yielded four touchdowns, including two of over 50 yards for the Gamecocks. During that fun stretch, former Georgia All-American and former ESPN personality David Pollack commented on the high level of play in the 2025 South Carolina-Clemson rivalry. However, as the game bogged down with worse play (including an ugly ending for USC), Pollack’s praise halted.

Though it could have been in reference to several moments from a very poorly officiated game, former South Carolina quarterback Davis Beville was especially displeased with a call that gave Clemson defensive back Ricardo Jones an interception. Jones snagged a LaNorris Sellers pass in the end zone, but Nyck Harbor knocked the ball to the ground. Somehow, though, even after a review, the call was upheld. It gave the ball to the Tigers and eliminated what would have been a field goal try for the Gamecocks.

On3 APP! Get GamecockCentral notifications

A couple of South Carolina standouts earned some social media love on Saturday, even if the final score didn’t go as the Gamecocks had planned.

Locked On NFL’s Damian Parson called South Carolina speedster Nyck Harbor a “walking, explosive play” and praised his speed on his 53-yard touchdown grab. The catch marked Harbor’s fifth game in a row with a touchdown. It was his fourth consecutive contest with a TD that went for at least 47 yards. He also logged over 100 yards receiving for the second game in a row.

Speaking of long touchdown grabs, Vandrevius Jacobs impressed the Unnecessary Roughness podcast crew with his catch-and-run that went for a 74-yard score. On Saturday, Jacobs went over 100 yards for the third time this season. He and Nyck Harbor became the first USC teammates to crack 100 yards receiving in the same game since Deebo Samuel and Shi Smith did so against Clemson in 2018.

The Gamecocks have finished the 2025 regular season with a 4-8 record. That means the Gamecocks have had a losing record in two of the past three seasons and are 33-30 (16-24) under head coach Shane Beamer.

The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina football!