A slew of miscues in the secondary and a big mishap on special teams cost Clemson in its loss to Duke on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

The Blue Devils outlasted the Tigers, 46-45, and multiple coverage busts/poor secondary play on Clemson’s end were to blame in large part. A kickoff return touchdown allowed by the Tigers certainly didn’t help their cause, either.

On the Blue Devils’ second touchdown of the game, Cooper Barkate got behind the secondary on a coverage bust. Cornerback Avieon Terrell let Barkate go, thinking he had help from safety Ronan Hanafin, but there was no help as Hanafin bit on the play action, and Duke quarterback Darian Mensah found his man all by himself down the field for a 77-yard touchdown.

Duke’s Que’Sean Brown absolutely burned Clemson’s Tink Kelley on Duke’s first touchdown of the game. Late in the half, it was Khalil Barnes’ turn to get burned, as he allowed a 43-yard touchdown catch by Brown. Even Terrell, who has been one of the more reliable players in coverage this season, got burned for a touchdown.

After Duke tied the game at 28 right before halftime — following more miscommunication in the Clemson secondary that led to a wide receiver running wide open down the middle of the field – Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was absolutely livid and lit into his defense and secondary on the sideline:

Swinney told ACC Network’s Dana Boyle at halftime that it was “the worst coverage I’ve seen” on some of those Duke touchdowns in the first half.

Overall, Clemson’s secondary allowed seven passing plays of more than 15 yards or more. Three of those were for 40 yards or more.

“Just horrible, horrible pass defense,” Swinney said after the game. “It’s not acceptable. It’s that simple. We’ve got to get better there.”

To make matters worse, immediately after Clemson went ahead 35-28 with a touchdown in the third quarter, Duke’s Sahmir Hagans returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to tie the game.

“The kickoff return for a touchdown was a huge play in the game,” Swinney said.

In the end, all the mistakes piled up and played a big part in what marked Duke’s first win at Clemson since 1980. Clemson fell to 3-5 on the season, including 2-4 in ACC play.

The Tigers return to the field next Saturday to host Florida State at Memorial Stadium (7 p.m., ACCN).