The day is Saturday, September 24th, 2022. It was a warm and mostly sunny day in Jacksonville, FL, around 80 degrees. I had just watched Clemson survive Wake Forest on the road in double overtime from my couch and was looking forward to seeing the Miami Hurricanes score a comfortable home victory against the overmatched Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders. Looking back, I was so naive.
We’re going to go through this awful loss the only way I know how: The Seven Stages of Grief.
1. Shock and Denial Stage
This happened in the opening five minutes of the first quarter.