Second No. 5 under center sparks Gamecocks’ upset

COLUMBIA, S.C.—The position was the same, and the number on the jersey was the identical, but the threat was completely different. And that new wrinkle in the offense was exactly the spark South Carolina needed to pull off a 34-17 upset of No. 15 Clemson.

Starting quarterback Stephen Garcia, the rifle-armed slinger who wears No. 5, had thrown an interception to end South Carolina’s first drive—after nearly throwing one a few plays earlier. With his team trailing 7-0—Clemson star C.J. Spiller had returned the opening kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown—Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier went for a fresh look when his club got the ball back thanks to a momentum-shifting fumble recovery by star linebacker Eric Norwood.


Spurrier turned to true freshman Stephon Gilmore, who has donned No. 5 as a starter at cornerback the entire season. Gilmore, South Carolina’s Mr. Football after his senior season as a dual-threat quarterback at South Pointe High in Rock Hill, hadn’t taken a snap outside of the practice field all season. But he gained eight yards on his first play and three more on the second to pick up the first down.

After a two-yard gain, Gilmore lofted a high-arching pass downfield—so much for a conservative first throwing attempt, eh?—that Alshon Jeffery hauled in for a 39-yard gain. Gilmore picked up seven more yards on two carries to put the Gamecocks on the Clemson 1. Garcia came back in for the final play, a touchdown run by Brian Maddox.

Gilmore wouldn’t take another snap the entire game, but a new tone had been set for the game with that one drive. DeVonte Hollomen ended Clemson’s following possession with a 54-yard interception return to set up a nine-yard TD pass from Garcia to Weslye Saunders. The Gamecocks never trailed again.

The Clemson defense had chances to make big plays—twice in the first half South Carolina fumbled and the Tigers failed to recover—but never did. South Carolina finished with 223 yards rushing Saturday, their best total this season against a Division I school that doesn’t call the Sun Belt home.

That performance doesn’t bode well for the Tigers, who face the triple-option ground attack of Georgia Tech in the ACC championship game on Dec. 5. The Yellow Jackets have rushed for at least 300 yards in nine of their first 11 games this season—including 301 in a 30-27 win against Clemson on September 10.