“The fun is in the winning.”
The old quote from Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has never rung so true. The Tigers entered without an ACC title berth or playoff spot on the line but played for pride and left it all on the field. The fans did the same. Instead of being lugubrious as their 4-4 Tigers took the field as underdogs, they were energized and made an impact.
The Tigers were without a bevy of key contributors on both sides of the ball. RB Will Shipley, WR Antonio Williams, OG Marcus Tate, OT Collin Sadler, S Jalyn Phillips, S Sherrod Covil, CB Sheridan Jones, and DE Justin Mascoll were all announced as out prior to the game (in addition to those already out for the season or recent weeks).