The Sun Rose: Clemson will use bye week to regroup and respond

If you are a Clemson fan, then the feeling you felt Friday night was one you had not felt in a while. 

You just watched Clemson struggle immensely and ultimately fall to Syracuse 27-24. Your television fixated on fans storming the field as head coach Dabo Swinney greeted Dino Babers at midfield for a congratulatory handshake. 

Clemson walked off the field as losers to an unranked team for only the second time in its last 51 games. 

You turned the television off. 

You were probably upset, disappointed, in disbelief, and had to take a moment to ask yourself: “what just happened?” 

These feelings nagged at you as you logged on to social media to voice your concerns in the Tigers’ performance on both sides of the ball. You saw fans of different schools revel in your loss more than they praise their victories.

The taste of defeat is brutally bitter after you had tasted sweet, sweet victory week after week. 

At some point on that Friday the 13th evening, you went to bed with all of those feelings still inside. An undefeated season was vanquished, and the world came crashing down just as Clemson fans least expected it.

But the next morning, the sun rose. 

The world had not come to an end after Clemson lost as a 22.5 point favorite. It was time to wake up and get out of bed. It was time to respond. 

How a team responds after a loss is what separates the good ones from the great ones. 

Heck, look at what happened last year after Pittsburgh stunned Clemson in Death Valley.

Friday night was Swinney’s third loss in the last three years. For a man who doesn’t lose very often, he sure knew how to accept it gracefully. 

This bye week couldn’t have come at a more perfect time for Clemson. It’s been a wild first seven weeks for the Tigers, and it’s time for them to take a collective deep breath and hit the reset button. 

The priority is getting quarterback Kelly Bryant, and the rest of the team, healthy. With two weeks until Georgia Tech instead of a short week, the redshirt junior should be 100 percent after he goes through the concussion protocol and is off his injured ankle for a bit.

Clemson saw just how tight of a position the offense could be in when Bryant can’t use his mobility and agility to elude defenders and add that dimension to the offense. 

If Bryant is not healthy enough for Georgia Tech, then he should not play. The bye week will allow backup quarterbacks Zerrick Cooper and Hunter Johnson plenty of practice time to develop and get reps with the first-team offense.

© Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Zerrick Cooper was 10-14 for 88 yards in relief of Kelly Bryant against Syracuse.

The bye week will give Clemson’s defense some time to reflect after an abysmal game Friday night. Their lack of execution, focus, and sense of urgency was shocking from a Brent Venables unit that had been so dominant all year. 

Venables talked a lot at the beginning of the season about his defense still needing to find an identity. Friday night was not what he was looking for. 

It’ll be important for the defense to learn from the tape and use the bye week to refocus and get back in the right mindset after mental errors proved to be costly in Clemson’s loss.

The bye week should also Clemson time to figure out its kicking situation. Alex Spence came in for Greg Huegel after he tore his ACL in practice and is out for the year. 

Spence has struggled a great deal so far, but that didn’t catch up to Clemson until Friday night when he missed two field goals in the three-point loss. The Tigers will go “back to the drawing board” with what to do at kicker. With Spence's issues, Christian Groomes will get an opportunity to prove himself to the coaching staff in an area where Clemson has struggled all year.

The only thing consistent in college football is the chaos that every weekend brings.

An average October college football weekend consists of many upsets and this week was no different as No. 2 Clemson, No. 5 Washington, No. 8 Washington State, and No. 10 Auburn all fell. 

Even with the loss and sour taste in its mouth, Clemson still has all of its goals in front of them.

The division, the ACC championship, the state championship, and even a college football playoff spot are still attainable. 

How Swinney and his team use this week to respond will set the tone for the rest of the year.

It’s a new day. It’s a new season.

The sun rose.