While Clemson may have fallen short in its quest to knock off Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl, Sammy Brown knows he left it all out on the field.

The sophomore linebacker led the team with 14 tackles and registered 0.5 tackles for loss in the defeat.

“Honestly, I don’t think we deserved to win,” Brown said. “We didn’t make enough plays in any aspect. Offense, defense, or special teams. Give credit to Penn State. They came to play, and we didn’t make enough plays.”

The Tigers were extremely short-handed on the defensive side of the ball, with half of the starting lineup out due to injury or opt-out. Over most of the first three quarters, Clemson held up well on that side of the ball, allowing just six points, but with the offense stuck in neutral much of the afternoon, that effort was all for naught. Once again, the team failed to play complementary football.

“One day it is the defense clicking, one day it is the offense that is clicking. Some days, neither are clicking,” Brown added. “Just one of those days, just one of those years.”

Although the fourth quarter was a different story. The Nittany Lions scored both of their touchdowns over the final 15 minutes, while quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer hit on 5-of-6 passing over that span for 133 yards. While some might think being so thin on the defensive side of the ball finally caught up with the Tigers, Brown was interested in making any excuses.

“When the lights were bright, and we had to make a play, I just don’t think we could,” he said. “I don’t think there is any specific reason for it, or anything specifically we could do to change it.”

With the season now officially in the books, Brown is already looking ahead to 2026, knowing full well he doesn’t want a repeat of 2025.

“What we did this year was obviously not enough,” Brown said. “Coming back next year, we’ve got a bar that we’ve set, and we have to press that bar even higher.”

When asked what needs to change over the offseason to ensure the Tigers are a much-improved team next season, Brown didn’t mince words.

“I think it is a mindset,” Brown said. “A lot of it comes from confidence and knowing we can do it, and we’ve got the guys in the locker room to do it. At the end of the day, you actually have to go out there and perform and make plays. I know without a shadow of a doubt that we’ve got the guys in the locker room to do it.”

Photo by Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images