Mistakes Doom #9 Clemson in Crushing Opening Loss to Duke
It was not supposed to happen this way.
Clemson rode into their season opener at Wallace Wade Stadium brimming with confidence. It all came crashing down against the Blue Devils as mistake after mistake continuously denied the Tigers in the red zone. Conversely, Duke took advantage at every turn, and in the end took with them a 28-7 victory over #9 Clemson.
Speaking to the media after the game, Coach Dabo Swinney expressed his disappointment with the outcome but remained optimistic about his team’s future.
“It’s a disappointing loss,” lamented Swinney. “In all my years I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of a game like that. We had so many opportunities. Obviously, three turnovers in the red zone, blocked kicks, but again, first and goal from the one twice and you don’t come away with any points. It’s just really disappointing.”
Any way you look at it, the game was an abject failure from an execution standpoint. The Tigers marched up and down the field all night, but failed to cash in on all but one of their trips inside the Blue Devils’ 20-yard line. Clemson fumbled the ball three times in the red zone, including twice from inside the five. Duke also blocked two field goal attempts as the litany of empty possessions finally inundated the Tigers’ chances to stave off their upstart opponents.
“Crazy stuff happens,” Swinney said. “Fumbles, blocked kicks, missed tackles. We have to learn to finish.”
Duke fired the first two salvos in the first quarter on a pair of field goals to take a 6-0 lead. Following a blocked field goal, Duke fumbled the ball away to the Tigers at the 18-yard line which led to the only Clemson score of the game. On 3rd and goal from the two-yard line, Cade Klubnik found Will Shipley rolling to his left and connected with his running back for the score. Clemson took a 7-6 lead into halftime, but it would not last long in the third quarter.
Early in the period, it appeared the Tigers had stopped Duke quarterback Riley Leonard for a loss on third down, but the Blue Devils’ signal caller slipped out of the pile and raced 44 yards down the sideline to the endzone, giving the Blue Devils a 13-7 lead following the point after.
“We had a tackle for a loss against their best player,” opined Swinney. “We had their quarterback dead to rights and he just made a great play. I can’t say enough about (Riley Leonard). He is a great player with a lot of heart and a lot of grit.”
The score remained the same late into the third, and with Clemson knocking on the door again, a mishandled snap inside the five was recovered by Duke. Then, with just over 10 minutes to play. The Tigers again set themselves up with first and goal at the one, but yet another fumble was returned well into Clemson territory and led to the back-breaking touchdown that buried the Tigers’ hopes.
A late touchdown run for Duke only poured salt into the Tigers’ wounds.
Clemson finished with 422 yards of total offense. Klubnik completed 27 of 43 passes for 209 yards, while the Tigers rushed for 213. Shipley carried the ball 17 times for 114 of those yards. The Tigers outgained the Blue Devils 422 to 374, but it was for naught.
According to Swinney, Clemson had come into the game 108-0 when passing and rushing for over 200 yards. It was a crazy stat that only added to the stunning outcome.
Klubnik, after the game, tried focusing on the positives and still firmly believes that the Tigers can shock the world and rebound from the loss.
“That’s the decision we have to make (as a team), are we going to respond or let this linger,” said Klubnik. “Ultimately, our goal is to play 15 games and now finish 14-1. Obviously we can’t go undefeated now, but there’s a lot of games and a lot of plays left. We’re going to learn from it.”
Clemson is now left to go back to the drawing board, and will be answering doubters from around the country. If the narrative that Clemson football was on the decline had already been established, Monday’s 28-7 drubbing at the hands of the Blue Devils only reinforced that notion.
Swinney doesn’t see it that way, however.
“I love this team,” he said. “I see a lot of opportunity ahead of them. We just have to stay together. I hurt for my team. They played hard.”
Clemson will next turn their attention to Charleston Southern, their home opener, in just five days. It is a short turnaround, but Swinney believes that could be beneficial to his team as they put the disappointment behind them and focus on the long season ahead.
“These guys are going to want to get back out there and play,” he said. “This one is going to sting and going to leave a bad taste in our mouths, but again, we have to decide if the glass is half full or half empty. I’m a glass half full guy. Always have been, always will be. We have to flush this one and get back to work.”
