Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik was left to process a stunning 46-45 home loss to Duke on Saturday after the Blue Devils scored a game-winning touchdown and two-point conversion with just 40 seconds left.
Asked to describe his immediate emotions after the devastating defeat, Klubnik was blunt.
"No, man, it just hurt, man."
The Tigers, who fell to 3-4 on the season , found themselves in a deep 21-7 hole after the first quarter. But Klubnik, who finished the day with 370 passing yards and two touchdowns, was proud of how his offense responded to the early adversity.
"I'm truly proud of our guys. I'm really proud of our offense a lot, man," Klubnik said. "Our running backs, they played unbelievable. Coach had challenged them throughout the week, and they answered the challenge really well... They never stopped playing, and it was fun to see us come back. And down 21-7, really just rattle back, and then get right back in the game. Felt like we were in control, so it was cool to see us respond like that."
Klubnik, who was sacked early in the game and seen limping, was also playing through pain. When asked how his ankle held up, he was unequivocal.
"Yeah, I feel good," he said. "I wasn't coming off that for you."
The offense, which scored 45 points in the losing effort, looked "gritty," according to the quarterback.
"Had Adam and Gideon just running through people, and it just fires everybody up, you know," Klubnik said. "It was really cool to see, just played really well offensively... I felt like we were clicking for sure."
As the game turned into a back-and-forth shootout, Klubnik said the offensive mentality was simple: "Every drive matters, you know... try to score every single drive, and that's really what we had to do, and it was close."
But despite the offensive success, Klubnik lamented the missed opportunities.
"Wish we had two of those drives back for sure," he said. "And credit to them, though, they got the stops when they needed them."
When asked what head coach Dabo Swinney's message was in the locker room, Klubnik said it was about accountability.
"You just got to play better, man, all around," Klubnik said of Swinney's message. "Credit to Duke. They played a great game. But I think that there's some stuff where Clemson was hurt. Clemson just got to clean up that stuff. You're not going to win much whenever that happens. So you've got to be able to just play complimentary football."
Now, with their "backs against the wall" heading into the final four games of the season, Klubnik said his motivation remains steadfast.
"I lean on my faith a lot. And God says, whatever you do, do it as if you're working for the Lord. So I'm gonna continue to play quarterback and continue to lead as if I'm working for the Lord," he said.
"I love this place. I love everything about it... It's been a dream come true, so I'll just continue to fight for four more weeks."