CLEMSON – When Duke quarterback Darian Mensah completed a 20-yard touchdown pass at the end of the first quarter to take a 14-point lead on Clemson Saturday, Memorial Stadium fell silent.

Eerily silent in what turned out to be a 46-45 loss to the Blue Devils.

A quietness that directly opposed the 80,000 screams that rang out from the same location only 10 weeks earlier as the Tigers ran down the hill for the first time to start the 2025 season with a top-10 matchup against LSU.

Hours after Death Valley reached peak pregame volume, the Tigers (3-5, 2-4 ACC) suffered their first loss at the hands of LSU, after only putting up 10 points, compared to an average over 36 points per game last season with roughly the same roster. 

While the defense held LSU to only 17 points, the offense, simply put, did not do enough to win.

This pattern, at times, has been a prominent issue for Clemson this season.

One week after the LSU loss, the Tigers found themselves down 16-3 at halftime to FCS opponent Troy, in a hangover from a previous loss and a lightning delay. Although Clemson’s physical advantages eventually wore down the Trojans, they found themselves in a similar situation two weeks later, down 24-7 to Syracuse, a 17-point underdog.

The Tigers fell into an early deficit again against SMU, and the eventual third home loss of the year felt all too familiar. 

Every time an opponent scored, Clemson was forced to punt, or the Tigers fell in a multi-score deficit, Memorial Stadium got a little quieter. A little less hopeful. The skid in confidence and crowd noise was deafening.

So when Mensah completed his 20-yard pass in the first quarter to take a two touchdown-lead over the Tigers, Clemson fans already knew it was coming: the Tigers’ offense was about to play itself into another loss.

This Saturday, however, against Mensah and the Blue Devils, (5-3, 3-2 ACC) was different for the Tigers. After Duke extended its lead to 14 points, Clemson answered with a 21-0 run, fueled by three 70-plus yard drives at the hands of quarterback Cade Klubnik, wide receiver Antonio Williams, and running backs Adam Randall and Gideon Davidson.

T.J. Moore scored the Tigers’ last touchdown on a 75-yard pass from Klubnik. The signal-caller finished with 370 yards, the second-highest of his three-year career at Clemson, after recovering from an ankle injury suffered in Oct. 11’s game against Boston College. 

Four players accounted for touchdowns and seven caught passes. Randall and T.J. Moore combined for over 150 rushing yards, as Randall finished with a game-high two touchdowns.

For the first time this season, over two months after its beginning, Clemson’s offense looked functional, polished, and good enough to win. With each first down, explosive play, and touchdown, a little bit of life was restored to Memorial Stadium, a sliver of hope reawakened. 

It may take time to regain the full-bodied efforts of screaming fans after earning a 3-5 record so far this season, but the Tigers’ season-high 45-points, 545-yard performance against the Blue Devils showed that Klubnik and his staff still has the ability to make Death Valley “pop” with just one right-timed flick of the wrist.

The offense also proved its ability to beat the Blue Devils Saturday, though 46 allowed points and a 46-45 loss outshined any mental wins.