Clemson’s season came to a bitter end with its Orange Bowl loss to Tennessee, but one Clemson player said the Tigers have to turn it into a positive.

Linebacker Barrett Carter said he liked the way the team competed despite the 31-14 outcome, the second-most lopsided loss of the season for the Tigers. Only their 35-14 setback at Notre Dame in early November was worse.

“That’s all you can ask out of a defense and all you can ask out of a team,” Carter said. “Just proud of the way we competed.”

Clemson held the nation’s top scoring offense to 16 points below its season average. But while the missed opportunities by the offense loomed large in the loss, the defense wasn’t perfect against a Tennessee offense that was playing without its starting quarterback and two of its top four receivers.

The Tigers allowed 375 yards, including 251 through the air. Clemson also allowed the Vols to come away with points on all four of their red-zone trips, including three touchdowns. Even with things not going its way for most of the night, Clemson trailed just 21-14 after scoring its first touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but the defense gave up a touchdown on Tennessee’s next possession that put the Vols on their way to a comfortable victory.

“Just got a lot of work to do going into the offseason,” Carter said. “(Friday) just wasn’t our night, but we’ve got to build off this and turn that pain into passion.”

Dear Old Clemson has a limited number of replica road signs to our store.  These have reflective properties just like real road signs.  Will Shipley, Tyler Davis and Antonio Williams have signed road signs with their numbers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. 

Dear Old Clemson is doing NIL the ‘Clemson way’, but we need your help to make sure we build a sustainable, repeatable model that will help keep Clemson competitive with the other top programs around the nation.

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