Shaw throws 3 TDs against Clemson in No. 14 Gamecocks 34-13 win

South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw played like a beast against Clemson. And he’s got the T-shirt to prove it. The “Beast Mode” shirt Shaw wore after the game was a reward for leading the 14th-ranked Gamecocks to a 34-13 win against No. 18 Clemson on Saturday night. Strength coach Craig Fitzgerald gave Shaw the shirt off his back. “I loved this shirt and I came up to coach Fitz and said, `If we win this game, I’m getting that shirt,”’ Shaw said.

The sophomore who got the starting job in midseason passed for three touchdowns and ran for another in the landmark win. The Gamecocks (10-2) reached 10 victories for just the second time in 118 years of football. It was also their third straight win over the Tigers (9-3), something that last occurred from 1968-70. Shaw finished 14 of 20 passing for 210 yards, including the longest touchdown pass of his career, a 49-yard strike to Bruce Ellington. Shaw also led the Gamecocks with 107 yards rushing.

“I feel like my confidence is boosting game by game the more I play,” Shaw said. “I have a better feel for the game and am starting to see the bigger picture.”

That could be awful for Clemson, which figures to deal with Shaw for two more seasons in a rivalry that has slipped out of its hands the past few years. The Tigers came in with a 65-39-4 edge in the state’s most talked-about matchup.

“Historically, Clemson has owned this series,” Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier said. “They don’t own us now.”

Shaw cemented his place in this landmark rivalry win with an 18-yard strike to star wideout Alshon Jeffery, which sent most of the 83,422 at Williams-Brice Stadium into hysterics.

“Ten, 20 years down the road, we’re still going to be talking about this,” said Gamecocks defensive end Melvin Ingram, who had two of his team’s five sacks.