Heading into last week’s loss to Syracuse, No. 7 Clemson had gone from the start of fall camp on Aug. 3 through the first six weeks of the season without much of a break.
During that time, the Tigers played Auburn in a slugfest. Went to Louisville and played an emotionally charged up game against the Cardinals. Two weeks later, they were in Blacksburg battling a now 5-1 Virginia Tech team. In between they played two physical games against Boston College and Wake Forest.
Clemson also had its starting quarterback, Kelly Bryant, injured in the Wake Forest game and then again against Syracuse.