But the storyline of Clemson's gut-wrenching 46-45 loss to Duke will inevitably circle back to one moment—a single flag that left head coach Dabo Swinney "beside himself" on the sideline and the Memorial Stadium crowd in stunned disbelief.
The play in question has already become infamous. With under a minute remaining and Duke facing a season-defining 4th-and-10 from the Clemson 18-yard line, quarterback Darian Mensah's pass sailed toward the end zone. The ball fell incomplete, seemingly sealing a dramatic defensive stand for the Tigers.
But as Clemson's sideline began to celebrate, a late flag flew in. Pass interference was called on cornerback Avieon Terrell, a decision that was immediately and hotly disputed. The penalty gave Duke a fresh set of downs with a 1st-and-goal from the 3-yard line, and the Blue Devils scored the game-winning touchdown on the very next play.
When asked directly about the call that changed the game's trajectory, Swinney was blunt in his assessment.
"That's one of the worst calls ever in my entire coaching career," Swinney said. "effort in a situation like that, uh… I don't really know what else to say."
The controversial call didn't just exist in a vacuum. For Swinney, it was the flashpoint of a frustrating night where his team battled back only to have the game decided by a whistle.
"I mean, we had plenty of opportunities to win the game, but… But you fight your butt off, and you scratch, and you call, and you get in a situation like that, and you just have… You have… you have a call like that," he said, his voice trailing off.
However, Swinney refused to let the single call be the sole excuse for the loss, quickly pivoting to his team's own costly mistakes that led to 46 points for the Blue Devils.
"I don't even… I don't want to make that a deal, because they won the game," Swinney said, turning the criticism inward. "At the end of the day, it was just… Horrible, horrible pass defense. Um, and… you know, just… it's not acceptable."
He drove the point home, noting that the game should never have been in the hands of the officials in the first place.
"So, you know, we gotta, we gotta… We'll get better there. Um, again, some routines. So, basic stuff."