By Kaila Burns-Heffner.
ORLANDO, Fla. – Clemson’s 40-6 domination of Oklahoma was a sweet victory for the program, the coaches, and all the players, but the win was especially satisfying for the senior Tigers.
The graduating class consists of 34 players and is one of the most decorated in school history. Their victory over Oklahoma makes 42 total wins for the group, the most wins by a class in Clemson history.
The seniors protected Death Valley, going 26-2 in home games.
They won an ACC championship title, beat LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, dropped Ohio State in the Orange Bowl, and stunned Oklahoma in the Russell Athletic Bowl.
To top it off, the seniors have achieved their fourth straight 10-win season, which has not happened since the 1990 class.
Plus, 31 of the 34 seniors have already earned their college degrees. The last three will continue school to complete their degrees, too. Head coach Dabo Swinney stressed that his seniors are not only great players, but also great men and incredible leaders.
“The story of this whole game, for me, is our seniors,” Swinney said. “Our seniors have been just a blessing really, just a blessing to be around for four or five years. They’re great players, but they’re great people.
“Clemson is a better place and I am a better coach and better man having been around these guys for the last 4-5 years, and I’m just going to miss them.”
Senior quarterback Cole Stoudt won MVP of the Russell Athletic Bowl and played his best game in his last game as a Tiger, while the senior-laden defense ended the season as the No. 1 defense in the nation.
By the end of the third quarter, Clemson held Oklahoma to just 61 passing yards and only allowed the Sooners to complete 1 of 10 third-down conversions.
In the fourth quarter, Swinney called two timeouts to take out all of his senior players on both the offense and defense after they had held Oklahoma to 0 points and solidified the victory. The crowd cheered the talented seniors while the second-team players got some valuable experience on the field.
“It didn’t really hit me at my graduation. It hit me at that moment,” said senior defensive tackle DeShawn Williams. “It’s like that was my last time wearing this uniform and we left our legacy, and now it is time to move on to the next step.”
For Williams, the win was extra special as he celebrated his birthday on December 29th by playing his last game with his teammates. He said that getting the win over Oklahoma in his last game was the best birthday gift he could have received.
“We bled, sweat with those guys. A lot of people said we couldn’t do these things, but we went out there and dominated how we did,” Williams said. “Those are my brothers, we’re family.”