Sammy Brown calls Clemson’s 51-10 loss to LSU ‘embarrassing’ as a team, ‘as a man’

Sammy Brown has already seen what can happen when one Clemson loss becomes something more.

He has no interest in watching it happen again.

Following Clemson’s 51-10 loss to LSU on Saturday night, Brown didn't attempt to minimize the disappointment or ugliness of a game in which the Tigers were outgained 644-145.

“It's obviously really, really embarrassing,” Brown said. “Like I said, not only as a team, but as a man, to take a loss like that.”

But for Brown, Clemson's response to the loss might ultimately prove more important than the loss itself.

“You can't let a loss define who you are. You can't let it defeat you. You've gotta let it develop you,” echoing Dabo Swinney’s words in the locker room.

Those words carry added significance after what happened to Clemson a year ago.

The Tigers opened the 2025 season with a 17-10 loss to LSU, then lost three of their first four games during a disappointing 7-6 season, but this was a shellacking. 

Fortunately, Brown believes the work Clemson put in this offseason has prepared this team to prevent history from repeating itself.

“The work that we put in, physically and also mentally, has put us in position to not let this loss develop or define us like it did last year,” Brown said. “Because if you let one loss roll into two, three, and four losses. And then it's the season.”

First, Clemson will have to figure out what went so badly wrong Saturday.

LSU rushed for 309 yards, and Brown pointed to several defensive issues the Tigers will have to address when they review the film.

“We let them get around us a couple of times. We couldn't set an edge. I think we busted a few coverages,” Brown said.

Still, with 11 regular-season games remaining and ACC play ahead, Brown's message was consistent throughout his postgame comments.

Respond.

That applies to Clemson's quarterbacks and younger players as much as it does to one of the leaders of its defense.

“When every thought in your mind is telling you, hang your head down and mope on it and let it defeat you, you have to be mentally tough enough to say, no, I'm gonna put my shoulders back, I'm gonna keep my chin up, and I'm gonna walk out of this locker room with some pride about myself, who I am as a man, and who we are as a team,” Brown said.

Clemson can't undo what happened in Baton Rouge.

Brown's concern now is making sure one disastrous night in Louisiana doesn't become something bigger.