To say Clemson is having a season it’s unaccustomed to would be an understatement.

With their 27-17 loss at Pittsburgh over the weekend, the Tigers (4-3, 3-2 ACC) fell for the third time this season. It’s the first time since 2014 Clemson has lost three games during the regular season.

Hopes of a seventh straight College Football Playoff appearance are dashed. Playing for another ACC title is a longshot, too. It’s only natural to wonder about the motivation for a team that’s used to playing meaningful games in the second half of the season. When Florida State (3-4, 2-2) visits Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Clemson will simply be trying to avoid dropping to .500 on the season.

Will Putnam said there’s still motivation for him beyond the wins and losses. But Clemson’s veteran offensive lineman admitted there’s some concern about other players mentally checking out amid a season that’s fallen well short of expectations.

“I think a lot of it kind of goes back to leading by example and showing guys through your actions that passion and all of that stuff by how you play the game,” Putnam said. “At the end of the day, we’re playing football. It’s not like the season is just over right now and we’re done. We still have, what is it, five more games to play. This is no time to quit right now. We’ve still got five games to play.

“I know a lot of guys in my segment of the line are in good spirits. They’re excited to get ready and go play a football game. But I think that kind of gets built out throughout the week in the message and the tone the staff kind of sets.”

As for Putnam’s motivation — and what he believes serves as incentive for other players, too — it’s simple, he said.

“We just love this game. We’re very passionate about it even though some things haven’t really gone our way. Obviously, yeah, we are disappointed about certain things and losing because that’s never what you want to do. I think the reason why we’re going to keep going and do the best we can is we’re passionate about this game. We’re passionate about this program and this university.

“Whether we’re playing (South Carolina) State or a national championship game, I’m personally just as excited to play either or. For me personally and I think a lot of guys on this team, it doesn’t really necessarily matter as much about getting excited to go play football because we always are.”