Clemson lived in Tennessee territory on Friday night.
The Tigers also died there.
A rejuvenating revival in the ACC Championship game with Cade Klubnik at the controls created the idea that Clemson's offense would keep rolling and never look back.
This Orange Bowl showed that the Tigers and their fans will be looking back long and hard at some truly numbing and almost inexplicable statistics from this 31-14 loss to Tennessee.
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Total plays for Clemson: 101, an Orange Bowl record
Total yards: 484
First downs: 34
Trips into plus territory: 11
Total touchdowns: One
No, this wasn't the plan for the tens of thousands of Clemson fans who trekked to South Florida in hopes of winning another Orange Bowl and finishing 12-2 as a springboard to greater things in 2023.
The Tigers may still be headed for great things, but their 2022 season ended with a resounding thud against a Volunteers team missing several of the studs that made them such a sensation earlier in the year.
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Tennessee has its first 11-win season since 2001. Clemson has its second consecutive three-loss season after six straight playoff trips from 2015 to 2020.
Against North Carolina, Klubnik was so good that he created the impression he was ready to take off. In his first college start, the freshman showed he still has some growing up to do.
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No, he didn't get much help from his offensive line as he was regularly pressured. And he did throw for 320 yards on a 30-of-54 clip while rushing for 51 yards and the only score.
But Klubnik also threw two interceptions, though neither was as costly as his massive mistake at the end of the first half when he chose to scramble when the Tigers had no timeouts at Tennessee's 13-yard line.
The ball was snapped with 11 seconds left, and he had just scrambled on the play before.
This time he was brought down at the 11 with five seconds left, and Clemson got nothing.
Coming up empty in Tennessee territory was the story of this night.
Eight times, Clemson drives into plus territory produced nothing.
Oh, let us count the ways:
Plus 27 (fake FG failed)
Plus 35 (miss FG)
Plus 32 (miss FG)
Plus 22 (miss FG)
Plus 43 (Punt)
Plus 11 (end of half)
Plus 31 (turnover on downs)
Plus 15 (interception)
BT Potter's sudden yips on field goals summed up the surreal evening. The normally sure-footed senior missed from 42, 49 and 55 yards before squeezing in a 31-yarder in the second quarter.
Clemson finally had life after reaching the end zone for the first time on a 4-yard run by Klubnik to cap a 71-yard, 12-play drive. The two-point conversion made it 21-14, and all the Tigers needed was a stop when Tennessee took over at its 25 with 10 minutes left in the game.
From there the Vols made it look a bit too easy. After moving into Clemson territory, Tennessee reached the end zone when Ramel Keyton ran right by Toriano Pride and Joe Milton hit him in stride for a 46-yard touchdown.
Just like that, it was 28-14. And soon thereafter a desperation fourth-down heave by Klubnik was picked off to send most Clemson fans to the exits for the long trip home.
It's going to be a longer offseason now for the Tigers.
That's what happens when you're so close to the end zone, yet so far away.
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