Watson's historic night leads Clemson past USC in Palmetto Bowl

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CLEMSON, SC (WIS) - In his final game against South Carolina, Deshaun Watson went out with a bang.

The junior quarterback threw six touchdown passes Saturday and became the third player in ACC history to record over 100 career touchdowns in the Tigers 56-7 win over the Gamecocks.

"Not a whole lot to say," Gamecocks Head Coach Will Muschamp said. "We got beat by a better football team. It's disappointing, especially the way we started the game. Give them credit. They've got a good team in all three phases. We got whipped."

South Carolina seemed to grab momentum early with Ulric Jones blocking a Greg Huegel field goal. However, the Tigers would regain momentum when Jadar Johnson picked off Jake Bentley giving the ball back to the Tigers. Three plays later, Deshaun Watson connected with Mike Williams on a 34-yard touchdown pass to put the home team up 7-0 with 11:08 left in the first.

Watson and Williams weren't done. About six minutes later, the two hooked up again. This time, Williams fought his way into the end zone on the 19-yard reception to make it 14-0.

Desperate to get something going, South Carolina attempted a fake punt. But Clemson was right there to stop Hayden Hurst from making the play giving the Tigers great field position. Watson would take advantage of it adding one more score with his arm in the opening quarter. He hit tight end Jordan Leggett on an 11-yard pass pushing the lead to 21-0.

"The cream rises to the top," said Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney when asked about Watson. "The cream always rises to the top. The things that have been said and written about Deshaun Watson this year is a joke. It's a joke. How people have tried to downplay him.is a joke. This kid is unbelievable. Never been around a guy like this guy. The moment's never too big. He's not perfect. But his leadership, his preparation, it's incredible. His will to win, it is off the charts. What he's done this year is amazing."

Meanwhile, South Carolina struggled on offense. The Gamecocks were outgained 226-7 in the opening quarter.

"There wasn't a whole lot working on offense or defense," Muschamp said. "Either one. So, you take your pick. We got beat by a better team. This year."

The scoring pace didn't slow very much for the Tigers in the second quarter. Clemson was held to one rushing touchdown in the quarter to make it 28-0. The Tigers had one last scoring series late in the period with Williams adding his third touchdown of the night. That score capped a series that saw Clemson go 80 yards in 39 seconds making it 35-0 at the half.

Williams had six catches for 100 yards along with his three touchdowns. Watson finished the night 26-of-32 passing for 347 yards.

As the Tigers flourished, the Gamecock offense still had no answers for the Tigers' defense. In total, the Gamecocks were outgained 380-52 in the half.

South Carolina would avoid the shutout with a touchdown in the third quarter. A pass from Deebo Samuel to Bryan Edwards would yield South Carolina's lone touchdown making it 42-7.

Clemson ultimately added two more second-half scores to seal the dominant win.

The Tigers are now 11-1 on the year as the Atlantic Division champions. Now, they turn their attention to Virginia Tech as they look to win their second straight ACC title.

"We got lots to prove," Swinney said. "I mean, we want to win the ACC Championship. So, we're the Atlantic champ. Virginia Tech's the Coastal champ and we've got to prove that we're the best in this league. That's what it comes down to and we've got four quarters to prove that next week."