The dust has settled and Tiger Football, along with one of the most passionate fanbases in the country, will lick their wounds and get ready to start preparing for next season. Now is a good time to look back at all of the things that made this football team and season so much more special than most, even after the way it ended.
Clemson’s leaders like RB Darien Rencher, WR Cornell Powell, LB Mike Jones Jr, and QB Trevor Lawrence worked with others to form a peaceful protest on campus to voice their opposition to the social injustice that has been going on in America and what had recently happened to George Floyd.
After the season got underway, some forgot how close this season came to not happening at all. This team’s top players like Lawrence and Etienne stood with Justin Fields who formed a #WeWantToPlay movement and helped to make sure that we as fans, got to enjoy the fall sport we’ve all come to love.
Then this team found a way to clear obstacle after obstacle to keep the season going. Tiger fans got to see what Dabo’s “next man up” philosophy was truly all about this season when injuries piled up and Covid wreaked havoc. Even Lawrence tested positive and eventually went five weeks without playing, including the double overtime loss to Notre Dame in November.
During a year where it would have been easy to pack it in and not even suit up this team went above and beyond to make sure to leave its mark in so many ways. Yes, there were many records broken by this team and some of its players, but this team will be remembered as one that helped not only helped give Clemson nation a season, but the entire world of college football.
Yes, it ended much differently that most expected, but Clemson still won its sixth straight ACC Championship, and this year had to go through Notre Dame to do so. They also made it back to the College Football Playoff for a sixth straight year and despite the disappointing ending, it is still quite an accomplishment. And they did all that in a pandemic season in which they face one setback after another.
So, as we move forward just remember fellow Tiger fans, Tajh Boyd’s words are so very true.
“All good things come to end and without this class I’m not sure the season would’ve even began. Surely you know that you left this place better than you found it. For that we are thankful. Take a bow Tigers”.
