Will Shipley was clearly frustrated following eighth-ranked Clemson’s 31-30 loss to South Carolina on Saturday, which snapped the Tigers’ seven-game winning streak against their arch rival.
“It’s really disappointing,” Shipley said after the game. “As a competitor, it’s gotta be – it’s your rival. We had chances to win the game and put it away and we didn’t. So, very disappointing.”
Shipley finished the game with 132 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, averaging 8.8 yards per attempt.
The sophomore running back had 99 yards on nine rushes at halftime but received only six carries over the final two quarters, when the Tigers managed just 86 yards of total offense.
Shipley was asked if it was surprising to be unable to do more offensively against the Gamecocks, considering how well Clemson ran the ball (6.4 yards per carry on 37 attempts in the game).
“I’m just out there running plays,” Shipley said. “I get the signal and I line up and I go. I try to input or give anything I can that I see on the field. If they take it, they take it. If they don’t, they don’t. So, I just do my job.”
When prompted for specifics, Shipley didn’t care to dive into the details.
“No, no specifics,” he said.
While Shipley expressed confidence in head coach Dabo Swinney, offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter and running backs coach C.J. Spiller, it’s evident he would’ve loved to have more touches down the stretch with the game hanging in the balance.
“I’m on the field, and my job as a player is to take advantage of the opportunities that I’m given,” Shipley said. “So, I get my eyes over to the sideline as quick as I can, I get the signals and I run the play. So, I’ve got full confidence in Coach Streeter, Coach Swinney, Coach Spiller to get me the ball when I need it and when they feel like I need it.
“So, as a competitor, hell yeah, I want the freakin’ rock with five minutes to go and the game on the line against our rival. That’s me as a competitor. But that’s not how it shakes out all the time, and as I said, I’ve got full confidence in the coaching staff and what they’re calling. So, just got to roll with it.”
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