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Columbia, S.C. • Mike Davis ran 75 yards for a touchdown, Connor Shaw and Dylan Thompson each threw long scoring passes and All-American Jadeveon Clowney helped No. 6 South Carolina's defense hold North Carolina to its lowest point total under coach Larry Fedora in a 27-10 victory.

The game was delayed nearly two hours in the fourth quarter by rain. The Gamecocks were already in control by that then.

Clowney did not have a sack and finished with three first-half tackles. The Tar Heels' fast-paced offense wore him down and forced him to the sideline for several pit stops, yet he and the defense mostly hemmed in North Carolina. Shaw and Thompson put South Carolina up 17-0 in the opening quarter.

Shaw found Shaq Roland for a 65-yard touchdown on the game's third play. Thompson threw a 29-yard TD to Kane Whitehurst later in the quarter.

It's been a steady stream of chatter about all things Clowney the past eight months, since knocking the helmet off a Michigan runner in the Outback Bowl. Should he sit out the year and protect his draft status as next year's No. 1 pick? How much insurance should he take out? (He has $5 million worth.) Can he become the first defense-only player to win the Heisman Trophy?

If he makes it to New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation in December, he likely won't have this game on his highlight reel.

North Carolina continually played away from Clowney's side with short passes and quick runs. When the Tar Heels did come his way, left tackle James Hurst — an all-ACC player with NFL hopes of his own — did a solid job keeping No. 7 in check.