CLEMSON, S.C. -- Ray-Ray McCloud's cellphone buzzed Sunday morning with a message from his quarterback.
Less than 24 hours had passed since Clemson suffered through one of the more miserable victories in the program's history, a 30-24 win over Troy in which receivers dropped eight balls, the offense sputtered through three dull quarters, and McCloud suffered the greatest indignity when he carelessly dropped the football just before crossing the goal line, costing himself a 75-yard punt-return touchdown.
Aside from the notch in the win column, everything about the game was frustrating, and in the aftermath, everyone from the national media to apoplectic fans to Dabo Swinney and his staff were dissecting what went wrong.