What has transpired in Clemson over the first few weeks of the season has been one of the biggest storylines in the country.

The Tigers have dropped three of their first four games and have seen any national title aspirations go up in smoke rather quickly. Having lost their first two conference games, just getting back to the ACC Championship game is pretty much off the table at this point.

Despite everything that has gone wrong and most of the team’s goals already off the table, offensive lineman Collin Sadler still sees the final eight games of the regular season as an opportunity.

“I wouldn’t call it a blow as much as I would a test,” Sadler said about the dismal start. “It’s really easy when you are sitting there, it’s mid-July, and you have the entire world in front of you. It is really easy to be motivated. It is really easy to have all the aspirations in the world when everything is great. But when you really get down to it and you have to push through adversity, I believe that reveals character individually and as a team.”

Many teams faced with the same circumstances would be dealing with a lack of confidence at this point. However, Sadler isn’t seeing that inside the Tigers’ locker room. He believes all of the issues to this point are correctable.

“I don’t think our confidence has been shaken at all,” Sadler said. “I think the biggest thing we have taken away from this season is that execution is at a prime. You can have whoever you want on either side of the ball, but if you aren’t executing and doing what you need to do on a play-to-play basis, it’s hard to be successful.”

After missing most of last season injured, Sadler has started all four games this season and has played at both guard and tackle.

With a trip to Chapel Hill to face off against North Carolina on deck, Sadler knows the Tigers just need a win to help get some momentum in an effort to finish strong. And he believes the team is still bought in, despite the circumstances.

“We want to build momentum, that is our biggest focus right now,” Sadler said. “Regardless of our circumstances, we just want to control what we can control and create momentum for ourselves.”

“Being in that locker room, I can firmly tell you that we are made of the right stuff. I don’t think anyone has let our current situation get to them mentally. I think everyone is just focused on our next opportunity.”

Photo by Bart Boatwright