MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — What began as a failed fake field goal on Clemson’s first drive of the night turned into a slew of special teams mistakes for the Tigers throughout the first half of play — mistakes that would prove to be costly in the end.

Following the failed field goal fake that gave Tennessee the ball on the 25-yard line on the Volunteers’ second drive of the night, veteran kicker B.T. Potter missed three straight field goals from 55 yards, 49 yards and 42 yards respectively.

In the first half, Cade Klubnik eclipsed over 200 yards passing, and the Tigers ran 36 plays in Tennessee territory yet did not make a trip to the end zone once. Tennessee saw just nine plays in Clemson territory but was able to convert those trips into a pair of touchdowns for the early two-score lead.

Despite Potter coming back and hitting a 31-yard and a 40-yard pair of field goals in the second and third quarters, along with Klubnik converting his first rushing touchdown of the night early in the fourth quarter, the Tigers were ultimately unable to make it happen despite having the ball in Tennessee territory on 11 drives.

The 31-14 loss marks Clemson’s first in the Orange Bowl since 2012.

Dear Old Clemson has added the Tiger Sack Pack to our online store.  Save by getting the Two Pack of signed cards from two of the nation’s top defensive ends, Myles Murphy and Xavier Thomas.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. 

Dear Old Clemson is doing NIL the ‘Clemson way’, but we need your help to make sure we build a sustainable, repeatable model that will help keep Clemson competitive with the other top programs around the nation.

Dabo Swinney: “We need your assistance more than ever to provide meaningful NIL opportunities. Tiger Impact, Dear Old Clemson and other collectives allow student-athletes to utilize their voice and platform to maximize their NIL opportunities and strengthen their impact in the community.”

Graham Neff:
“Tiger Impact, Dear Old Clemson and other collectives need your support to help provide meaningful NIL opportunities for our student athletes. We are doing things the right way, the Clemson way with integrity as a non-negotiable and we fully support the mission of these groups.”

Join the Tiger Club or Lady Tiger Club to help these great student-athletes and help the Tigers compete at the highest level!