Clemson Football 2017: Tigers crush South Carolina in Palmetto Bowl

Clemson football dominated the 2017 Palmetto Bowl to set up a defacto College Football Playoff play-in game against Miami in next week’s ACC Championship Game.

Already assured of a trip to the ACC Championship game, Clemson kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive with a staggering victory over rival South Carolina in the 2017 Palmetto Bowl. Clemson dominated South Carolina in every aspect of the game and never looked back after jumping out to a 20-0 halftime lead.

Clemson closes their regular season 11-1, Champions of the ACC Atlantic Division. South Carolina finishes 8-4, second place to Georgia in the SEC East. Here are three takeaways from the Tigers’ victory over the Gamecocks.

1. Kelly Bryant is a game manager

Kelly Bryant is a game manager, and that’s okay. Clemson fans were spoiled to have Deshaun Watson in the offensive backfield during their last two College Football Playoff appearances. He’s gone on to continued success in the professional ranks, proving that he was indeed as special as he seemed at Clemson.

It’s unrealistic to think that any coach is going to find another Deshaun Watson on the heels of the original departing a season ago. Bryant was efficient in the Tigers’ victory. He completed 23 of 34 passes for 272 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He mixed in a few longer throws with intermediate routes and did not make any mistakes.

When Clemson needs to get a first down they’re going to hand it to one of their handful of elite running backs. If Bryant can make the right read and deliver the ball to the open receiver the Tigers will be just fine in their Championship pursuits.