Clemson football’s defense dominated South Carolina’s offense for three quarters in the Tigers’ 17-14 rivalry loss on Saturday. The Tigers stifled quarterback LaNorris Sellers and the Gamecocks’ rushing attack, holding them to just 240 total yards, including 127 on the ground, while allowing only seven points.
Much of that was courtesy of linebacker Sammy Brown, who was everywhere during the first three quarters. Brown was relentless, making nine tackles, one sack, and 1.5 tackles for loss while consistently disrupting Sellers and running back Rocket Sanders. Despite that, Clemson defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin made the puzzling decision to pull Brown off the field in the fourth quarter.
The move, head coach Dabo Swinney said, was a shift in defensive packages. “We felt they were going to change the way they were going to play, but nothing more than that,” Swinney said. But the Gamecocks didn’t change their game plan. Instead , they relied more heavily on the run, carrying 17 times for 140 yards in the final quarter—more than they had managed in the first three quarters combined.
Brown briefly returned for one snap in the fourth quarter, which ended with Khalil Barnes’ interception to end a would-be South Carolina scoring drive. Yet, the Gamecocks kept rolling, with him on the sidelines for the most part. Given how limited South Carolina was in the passing game – with heavy reliance on the run – it’s a head-scratcher why Clemson ever sat Brown.