Now that I’m no longer Sports Editor, there isn’t much for me to do in the odd purgatory-like time between now and my impending December graduation — other than reflect on my last four years of covering Clemson football. Below, I’ve compiled my favorite highlights:
2021: KJ Henry recovers dropped snap from Boston College
In early October, the Tigers lined up against Boston College with a 2-2 record. They would either go under .500 for the first time in years or find some form of conference redemption after a double-overtime loss to NC State the weekend before.
There were 47 seconds left on the clock, with the score stuck at 19-13. The Eagles were on Clemson’s 11-yard line with a potentially game-winning touchdown on deck. The clock ran down, the center snapped the ball — and the quarterback completely muffed it, dropping it from his hands while KJ Henry sprinted to recover it.
The energy in the stadium was electric, and that was the moment I fell in love with Clemson football.
2022: Nate Wiggins’ pick six in the ACC Championship
Enter December 2022, when the Tigers were fresh off the heels of a 31-30 loss to South Carolina at home, and they knew they had to prove their worth against a powerful Drake Maye-led North Carolina team.
Clemson held a healthy 24-10 lead, but the Tar Heels were not letting up steam. North Carolina set up on Clemson’s 5-yard line in shotgun formation, and Maye shot the bullet — straight into the hands of cornerback Nate Wiggins, who subsequently turned his burners on for a 98-yard pick six, the longest ever recorded in ACC Championship history.
2023: Clemson upsets Notre Dame in Death Valley
After starting the preseason ranked No. 9 in the nation, the Tigers were unranked by Week 3. Come early November, they were struggling to hold a 4-4 record, with all of those losses at the hands of conference opponents, and doubts permeated the fanbase about the team’s legitimacy.
The No. 12 Fighting Irish marched into Death Valley expecting to steamroll the Tigers with their Sam Hartman-defined offense. What they weren’t prepared for, however, was the classic Clemson grit. The defense dug their heels in and held Notre Dame to a field goal for its first possession, and the offense put up 10 unanswered points to close the first quarter.
Once halftime came around, the Tigers were up 24-9. The rest is history, and the knowledge that Tyler from Spartanburg was eating his words was enough of a win for me.
2024: The App State game
I don’t need to elaborate too much on this one, as the game wasn’t even two months ago. I’ll keep it sweet and short: 92% completion rate, nine touchdowns — five in the first quarter — 712 total yards on offense and apologies from the national media all around.
