NO. 9 TIGERS FALL TO NO. 24 ‘BAMA

While the University of South Carolina blanked a weak NC State team Thursday night, the Southeastern Conference continued to show its dominance over the Atlantic Coast Conference Saturday. The ninth-ranked Clemson Tigers lost to the University of Alabama 34-10 in Atlanta.

And it wasn’t just a loss… it was an embarrassment.

Alabama’s defense held Clemson to zero rushing yards to help bat a top-10 opponent for the first time since topping No. 5 Florida in 2005. [...]

The Crimson Tide defense held the Tigers’ heralded “Thunder and Lightning” backfield of James Davis and C.J. Spiller to 20 yards combined.

The Tigers managed only 188 yards, way off their 403-yard average from last season. [...]

The Tide ran the ball easily on Clemson’s defense, which was ninth in the country a season ago. At one point, Alabama had outgained the Tigers 114-1. By the time, tight end Nick Walker had slipped behind three defenders for a 4-yard TD catch, Alabama was ahead 20-3 midway through the second quarter.

Meanwhile, things look great in Columbia. Sure, NC state is an ACC bottom-dweller, but the Gamecocks still notched a huge shutout, not once allowing the Wolfpack into the red zone. On top of that, most of USC’s 34 points came in the second half after quarterback Tommy Beecher was benched for Chris Smelley, leaving open the possibility of a potent offensive coupled with a stingy defense.

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