After suffering its first four-loss season and back-to-back losses in over a decade, Clemson football is far from competing at the level many had hoped for in 2023.
The Tigers are 4-4 on the season, with a 2-4 record in ACC play, marking the first time Clemson has lost four conference games since 2010.
Despite not meeting the expectations the team has become accustomed to in recent years, players understand that things could certainly go from bad to worse if they mellow in their losses.
“Obviously, when you do look at our record, we’re 4-4, and it’s disappointing, to say the least,” linebacker Barrett Carter said on Monday. “We’re all frustrated, but once you step on that field against another opponent, no one cares about our record at all.”
“I think that’s the mindset that (head coach Dabo Swinney) has been trying to preach to us and also what I’ve been trying to preach to the guys,” Carter added. “We can’t sit around and feel sorry for ourselves.”
When discussing how the team has dealt with a rather unprecedented season, Carter noted that it has been difficult knowing the expectations the group was working towards in the offseason.
“It’s super tough,” the junior said. “Dating back to January, we worked so hard and put in so much extra time not just on the field but in the film room, making sure that we corrected the mistakes that we needed to correct.”
“Looking into our locker room and on our roster, we have dudes across the board,” Carter added. “It’s really frustrating just to see that our record is not showing that.”
Carter also alluded to the positives that have come from this season, mainly for the younger players.
“I’m very optimistic about what we have,” he said. “The guys that we have, the players that we have, the young guys that we’re developing, the lessons that they’re learning too…Guys are learning, and it’s going to be a lot of stuff for the guys to carry with them next year. We’re building a lot of experience, and these young guys are growing up super fast.”
Looking ahead, Clemson will match up at home against No. 12 Notre Dame on Saturday, and Carter spoke to the fact that the team needs to come prepared following its two-game losing streak.
“Notre Dame, they dang sure don’t care what our record is,” Carter said. “They were 5-3 last year and whooped our tail. It doesn’t matter what the record is. We just have to show up on Saturday and prove that we can compete and prove that we can play with the best teams in the country, which we can.”
