With five games now in the books and an open date on deck, the Clemson football team has an opportunity for a mental reset.

The Tigers are probably about where they should be, having won each of the three games they were favored in and losing both in which they were underdogs. However, each of those defeats were lopsided ones, and came to the only two teams on the schedule currently ranked inside the Top 25.

The two losses were certainly disappointing considering how they played out, but the most recent one stings a little more, seeing as Clemson had some opportunities to make it a game against fourth-ranked Miami and just couldn’t cash in. And with no game this weekend, this team has two weeks to sit with the loss.

The goal now is to not dwell on what happened against the Hurricanes, because there is still a lot left on the table for this team. In fact, all but one of the team’s preseason goals are still attainable, and Will Heldt says that is certainly something the Tigers are aware of.

“That is definitely a big part of it,” Heldt said. “Obviously, we got to take our losses and move forward, but just knowing we still have everything in front of us is comforting. That is just what we are going to strive for. Just continue to keep the optimism and go every single week and look up at the end and see where we’re at.”

Winning the opener is currently the only preseason goal not within reach, seeing as the Tigers fell to LSU to kick off the season. However, despite the loss to Miami, winning the conference is still a possibility if Clemson takes care of its remaining business. The other two goals are to win the state, which means beating the rival Gamecocks and to win the closer.

“I think that is definitely a possibility,” Heldt added. “That is what we think. I think we are confident in that. Every game we have shown signs of growth. Obviously, it has not always reflected on the scoreboard, but I think we have done a lot of good things, and we just need to keep building on that. Keep our heads down and keep working.”

Heldt currently leads the team in both sacks (four) and tackles for loss (6.5), and serves as one of the leaders on Tom Allen’s defense. Being one of the leaders in the locker room means he is one player the others will look to when times are tough, and part of his job is to ensure that his teammates are looking forward and not back.

And he’s also putting it on himself to make sure the rest of the team is focused on having the best finish possible.

“Just continuous growth,” Heldt said. “Obviously, two big losses, not what we expected in those games or the standard we hold ourselves to. We got the bye week this week, which will be big to get ourselves back, get our bodies back, and just continue to get better. I just think it is a great time, right now, five games in, still a lot in front of us, to take account of everything we have done so far — everybody look themselves in the mirror and say how can I get better? What can I do personally to help this team continue growing?”