The Gamecocks needed a a stop. It was just like every other time that they were in a position to make a play, except this time a win over their rival and a chance at the College Football Playoff was on the line.

Demetrius Knight stepped up.

The sixth-year senior linebacker intercepted Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik with 12 seconds left in the game to seal South Carolina’s 17-14 win on Saturday.

“So happy for D. Knight — what a leader he is, what a person he is, what a way for him to finish,” USC head coach Shane Beamer said.

The Gamecocks had just gained their first lead of the game on a 20-yard touchdown run on a scramble by QB LaNorris Sellers with just over a minute to play. Clemson quickly responded, moving 53 yards in four plays and reaching the red zone with under 30 seconds left on the clock.

The Tigers were poised to take a shot at the end zone for the win or, at worst, attempt a field goal to send the 121st Palmetto Bowl into overtime. But Knight had other plans.

On a tipped pass, he got his hands under the ball for the takeaway, securing the win for the Gamecocks and setting off a jubilant celebration on the visiting sideline.

“We practice it every day in practice,” Knight said. “We go through situations like that every day in practice, and it shows up in games where you don’t flinch, nobody overreacts. You stay calm, you stay collected, stay poised and you get outcomes like that.”

Knight’s heroics capped an impressive performance that included 10 tackles — his third double-digit tackle game of the season.

For South Carolina, the defensive stand was a welcome relief. The Gamecocks had a roller-coaster day, giving up 228 yards in the first half, though most of that came from three chunk passing plays of 40, 36 and 28 yards.

Despite surrendering 419 total yards on the afternoon, the Gamecocks held Clemson to just 14 points.

While the Tigers moved the ball well overall, USC’s defense held strong when it mattered most. South Carolina forced two turnovers in the second half, including Knight’s game-winning interception, helping mitigate the Gamecocks offense’s own three giveaways.

“We talked about being the closest connected group in the country, and that was on display there,” Knight said. “We didn’t flinch. Offense did what they did. It’s OK. We’ve got your back. We’ve gotta come out and put the ball down.”

That’s the defense mantra, Beamer said: Put the ball down. In other words, get a stop.

And they’ve been able to do that all season. But it was the moment that they got the stop that made it all the more special.

“I told the defense before they went back out there on the field on that last drive that this is why all these seniors came back: for a moment like this — to go out there and get a stop,” Beamer said.

They got the stop, the rivalry win and kept their playoff dreams alive all at once.