Clemson football put its fans through the entire gamut of emotions on Saturday during the Tigers’ crushing 46-45 loss to Duke at Death Valley.
In the aftermath, the players were reduced to tears, Dabo Swinney was fuming at the officials, and fans were left wondering how much further it is to rock bottom.
During the first quarter it seemed as if the game would be much of the same for Clemson Football as the Tigers fell behind the Blue Devils 21-7. Too many times, it seems as if the players have given up when facing adversity, but if there is a silver lining from Saturday, it is that this time the team continued to fight tooth and nail. At least the offense.
Clemson battled back to score 21 of the final 28 points of the first half, taking a 28-21 lead in the final minute of the second quarter until disaster predictably hit and Duke returned a kick-off 100 yards for a touchdown to send the teams into halftime tied 28-28.
Duke Blue Devils vs. Clemson Tigers | Full Game Highlights | ESPN College Football – YouTube
Following the runback, Swinney was captured on the sideline berating his defense who once again looked hapless, particularly against the pass, and a dismissive look from a certain member of the secondary spoke volumes about the mindset of that side of the ball. Hint…it ain’t good.
Both teams battled back and forth the entire second half, but it looked like Clemson football was finally going to beat a Power 4 opponent at home when the Tigers scored to take a 45-38 lead with under six minutes to play. Then, after pinning Duke at their own six-yard line with just over five to play, it would be the disastrous defense that let Duke slip through the cracked door.
On third and long, Blue Devils’ quarterback Mensah found his tight end on a long pass deep into Clemson territory. Then, a few minutes later, the salt was applied to the perpetually open wound festering among the entire fan base.
On fourth and 10 at the Clemson 18-yard line, Mensah was flushed from the pocket, and on the run heaved a prayer of a pass toward the endzone. Aveion Terrell, defending the play, was shoved to the ground by the Duke receiver in a blatant offensive pass interference, and when the flag flew, the assumption was it was on the Blue Devils, penalty declined, and the Tigers would secure the win.
Nope.
Terrell was tagged with a defensive pass interference call, giving Duke the ball inside the five-yard line. The Blue Devils score on the ensuing play and went for two, easily converting, and ensuring that Clemson football fans, coaches, and players took yet another step toward the seemingly bottomless pit of heartbreak.
Clemson stalled on their final drive, unbelievably being called for the offensive pass interference that should have been whistled on Duke. Swinney fumed in the aftermath during his postgame press conference, calling it the “worst call he has ever seen” and incurring a $10,000 fine from the ACC in the process. He doubled down on Sunday.
But that angst, shown during and after the game, has been building for a while. Darian Mensah passed for 361 yards and the Duke offense put up 439 total yards in the worst showing yet for a Clemson football defense that has struggled mightily for most of the season.
Doubly frustrating was the fact the offense, which rolled up 560 yards and 45 points, was gipped by their own defense out of a win that they did plenty enough to earn. Cade Klubnik had one of the best games of his Clemson career, passing for 385 yards. Still, it proved not to be enough.
So, where does Clemson football go from here? At 3-5, the Tigers are in very real danger of not even making a bowl game after being ranked #4 in the country to start the season. With only four games left, including a match-up with high-powered Louisville in two weeks, it is at least possible Clemson football will miss the postseason altogether.
With a struggling Florida State team coming to Clemson this Saturday, it is a game between two teams steadily going in the wrong direction. But if you look on the bright side, perhaps the offense will light up the scoreboard again, and the Tigers will come away with a win at home where Clemson has just one win this season…against Troy.
It cannot get much worse. Or maybe it can.
