Well, it was fun while it lasted. After two glorious weekends of Clemson and South Carolina victories, the streak ended Saturday as the Tigers remained undefeated and the Gamecocks fell to 2-3 on the season.
South Carolina took to the road in search of their third straight victory, squaring off against defending national champion LSU. After falling behind 7-0, the Gamecocks evened the score midway through the first. Unfortunately, this was as close as they would get in this matchup, as LSU reeled off 24-unanswered points before the Gamecocks could find the end zone again. South Carolina added two touchdowns in the second half, but eventually lost by the final score of 52-24. Sophomore running back, Kevin Harris, continued his strong start to the season against LSU, finishing with 100-plus yards on the ground and two touchdowns, earning him Terminix Pest Player of the Game recognition.
Over in Death Valley, Clemson played host to the 1-4 Syracuse Orange, a team that has given the Tigers several tough battles over the past few years. The Tigers rushed out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Orange were determined to keep the game close. Syracuse would eventually pull within six points early in the third quarter before Clemson sealed the victory with a defensive touchdown and cruised to a 47-21 victory. The player responsible for that pivotal third-quarter defensive touchdown, cornerback Andrew Booth, Jr., took home the honor of Terminix Pest Player of the Game.
Hear the calls for the Terminix Pest Players from Week 8 action in the tweets below.