First, we learned that when the offensive line can create rushing lanes, the Gamecocks are hard to slow down given the number of other weapons in the arsenal that suddenly become available: fullback Patrick DiMarco, tight end Weslye Saunders, receivers Tori Gurley, Moe Brown and Alshon Jeffrey.

Many people — though I hesitate to say most — thought Clemson would have trouble scoring consistently against USC’s defense considering the Gamecocks did fine jobs against Alabama and Florida. What was at issue was whether USC could solve its offensive problems, and they did that with a huge, confidence-building performance that should ripple through the bowl game and subsequent offseason.

There were just so many things to love for Gamecock fans: a bright future with the amazing number of freshmen who played critical roles on Saturday; seeing Brad Scott finally walk out of Williams-Brice a loser; earning back a degree of national respect with an upset of a team playing for its conference championship; and serving Dabo Swinney and the rest of Clemson’s players and fandom a big piece of humble pie thanks to a all-too-rare comfortable victory.

Few would have thought such a dominating performance was coming after the first three-plus minutes of the game in which USC gave up a touchdown to C.J. Spiller followed by an interception by Garcia, an opening that had Tiger fans dancing in the isles with visions of yet another romp. That USC instead stuck to its game plan of establishing the run is a credit to the entire coaching staff. Whomever was calling the plays and whatever the system used, it worked. It took 11 games, but it definitely worked, as the Clemson defense never looked comfortable or settled.

I think if they hadn’t already, Gamecock fans saw just how special a player freshman cornerback Stephon Gilmore is. Whether it was running the Wildcat offense to perfection or making stop after stop to help shut down Spiller on the ground, Gilmore has been spectacular this season.

And finally, the fans at the game — and particularly the student section — deserve a huge round of applause. I think this year, the music selected at the stadium and the energy level of the students has been as good as it ever has been, whatever the overall numbers may be. The students were huge in the Ole Miss win and were in the Florida game until the bitter end. That they were able to transfer that energy to the USC sidelines was fun to watch.

In the end, this game isn’t remotely done making USC fans happy and paying dividends. In fact, it has only just begun to.