In 2016, Clemson lined up for fourth-and-1 play on the opponents 35-yard line with less than one minute remaining on a chilly November night.
The No. 2-ranked Tigers held a 2-point lead over the Pittsburgh Panthers, who were heavy underdogs coming into the contest. If Clemson were to convert, it would have escaped what would have been a heck of an effort from Pittsburgh.
But when Deshaun Watson handed the ball off to Wayne Gallman, he was stonewalled at the line to gain. It was the second consecutive play Clemson's leading rusher was unable to pick up the elusive yard to seal the deal.
The Tigers turned it over on downs and Chris Blewitt nailed a 48-yard field goal to give the Panthers the dramatic 43-42 upset and almost knock Clemson out of the College Football Playoff conversation. If it weren’t for plenty of other chaos brewing around the country that night in November, Clemson’s season might have taken a different turn.
The mood in Death Valley that evening was one of utter shock. That Pittsburgh team was not supposed to come into Memorial Stadium and hand Clemson its first home loss since 2013.
Its first loss to an unranked opponent in five years (46 games).
One year late, it happened again.
Clemson went on the road to Syracuse with a banged-up starting quarterback on an eerie Friday night. From the onset, the Orange offense took it to the Tigers and Clemson was unable to get out of its own way. No. 2 Clemson fell 27-24 for its first loss of the season as fans stormed the field.
That fourth down play against Pittsburgh came on the same side of the field where Chase Brice faced a fourth-and-6 with the game on the line two years later against Syracuse. Those three games were mighty similar in the aspect that nothing went quite right for Clemson and it was left in a dogfight.
Clemson co-offensive coordinator thought the same thing when his offense trotted onto the field after a penalty moved the ball from a fourth-and-1 to a fourth-and-6.
“When it’s fourth-and-1 as coaches, you just kind of flashback,” Scott said. “Here we are, this is Pitt two years ago. To see ourselves now in that situation and overcome that late in the game when you have a chance to go win it, I think those are positives that you look for to really show growth and encourage your guys down the road.”
Of course, Clemson converted and went onto win the game 27-23 after an incredibly difficult game (and week).
But it’s those same types of games that have tripped Clemson up in the past. The Tigers came close many times to falling to quality opponents in 2016, but always managed to squeak by until Pat Narduzzi’s squad rolled in and Clemson decided to turn the ball over three times, twice in the red zone.
Clemson has had to learn some lessons the hard way the last two years with losses in the regular season. But those losses proved to be a turning point as the season rolled along.
The 2016 Tigers went onto win the national championship. The 2017 team won the ACC championship for the third year in a row and made its third straight appearance in the College Football Playoff.
But this year’s Clemson team may have just had its turning point, and it didn’t have to end with a loss.
We know - it’s early and 2016 proved that close calls can happen week to week. But you really got the feeling on Saturday, when the Tigers escaped Syracuse, that it could be a turning point this season.
Nothing went right for Clemson on Saturday. The obvious Trevor Lawrence injury in his first career start, followed by a Trayvon Mullen ankle injury after Mark Fields was suspended for the game leaving the secondary ultra thin. And even the sure-handed Amari Rodgers, who had looked so dominant so far at punt return had trouble catching the ball-- twice.
All that combined almost cost Clemson. But there’s something to be said about a team who responds with its back against the wall at home when nothing is going right. The will to win inside Clemson’s program until the final whistle was purely evidenced in that 14-point rally in the fourth quarter.
And as we said on Monday, if Clemson somehow manages to conquer its goals and reach the College Football Playoff again, we’ll remember Clemson’s week against Syracuse - not as a turning point, but a point where we learned Clemson had what it takes.
“It was awesome,” Swinney said Tuesday on the way he saw his team grow. “You had the distractions and drama of the week. Every team, there is this galvanizing moment usually.”
And that moment easily could have been fourth-and-6. Or the entire drive. Or the entire fourth quarter. There was a point in that game where many thought Clemson would fall at home for its third home loss in five years.
Instead, Clemson improved to 24-4 in games decided by eight points or less since 2011. Those 24 wins are the most in the nation in that span.
Incredible.
And it’s moments like the ones Clemson faced on Saturday that make them a better team. A better program. And those experiences will snowball into the next close game they may find themselves in. And the next one after that.
Because Clemson grows from those type of wins - and those few losses. But on Saturday, after the loss of a senior starting quarterback and so many other factors, that was a moment Dabo Swinney could step back and take in the growth of his team.
“It’s like your kids on the growth chart, you know?” Swinney said Tuesday. “We used to have a little growth chart hanging in Clay’s room and you take it, get everybody in there and mark it, then mark it again.
“Sometimes you don’t really see the growth because it’s quick and you’re so close to it. But that was one of those moments where, man, we really grew as a team.”
Clemson will probably have some more growing pains as the season continues. College football has shown us time after time that no one is safe from the chaos it brings.
But the game against Syracuse - much like 2016 against Pittsburgh, and 2017 against Syracuse - could be the wake-up call this team needed going forward. Only this time, they didn’t have to fall from the ranks of the unbeaten.
They could have learned their lesson without having to do it the hard way. History tells us Clemson has been just fine after those kinds of games - especially in the regular season.
The irony here? The 2016 team that fell to Pittsburgh and this year’s team that narrowly escaped Syracuse both went on a trip to Wake Forest the very next week looking to make a statement.
