CLEMSON -- Sammy Brown's final snap of the South Carolina game came at the 10:39 mark of the fourth quarter.
The Gamecocks faced second-and-22 from Clemson's 26. Brown, one of three linebackers on the field, dropped back into a zone and watched as LaNorris Sellers threw for Nyck Harbor down the right sideline.
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Safety Khalil Barnes got a good jump on it, undercut the route and picked the ball off.
That was Brown's 36th and final snap on defense that day.
Brown played 81 snaps in the ACC Championship.
Yes, the decision to go small late against the Gamecocks -- exchanging Brown for a defensive back to put the defense in nickel personnel -- is going to haunt Clemson fans for a long time. If old-timers want to say it's similar to the 2006 decision to remove hot-hand Reggie Merriweather late in a loss to South Carolina, we won't argue.
Certainly the personnel usage against SMU could be viewed as a concession that, for whatever reason, Wes Goodwin and Co. screwed up by not having No. 47 on the field when Sellers and South Carolina were powering through that smaller lineup.
Because the Mustangs were not as big as the Gamecocks, in stature nor in style. Even against Rhett Lashlee's more spread-heavy looks, and even in quite a lot of third-and-long situations, Clemson kept three linebackers on the field.
