Tiger starter heated after Saturday's loss: “We have no business being 4-4”

Clemson slipped to 4-4 two-thirds through the regular season for the first time since 2010.

by Ariana Pensy - Correspondent - Sun Oct 29 07:00:06 GMT-04:00 2023

Redshirt sophomore Troy Stellato did not fight so hard to be able to play football for Clemson University to be 4-4.

“I feel like everything’s going against us this year a little bit. We’re a 4-4 football team, but we all know we’re not that. We’re just literally a couple of plays away every single game. It’s frustrating. It really is,” Stellato said after Saturday’s 24-17 defeat at NC State. “We all put in so much hard work and attention to the plans and everything, and we feel great going in every week, and it’s like, just these freak plays happen.”

The Wolfpack took control of this game early, scoring a touchdown on their second drive of the game. That was set up by an interception from sophomore quarterback Cade Klubnik; that would be his first of two picks in the game, the second of which was returned for a touchdown. That pick-six was ultimately the deciding factor in the game, as it gave NC State a 24-7 lead. Still, at that point in the game, Stellato and the rest of the Clemson offense had confidence that they could go win the game.

“When we went down 24-7, we still felt like we (could) come back and win the game … I feel like that kind of got us going, going down that many points because it was like, (there) was a lot of positivity by our quarterback and you wouldn’t really think we were down,” Stellato said. “I think we were down 17 at one point. That wasn’t the vibe or energy on the sideline. We were just like, ‘Let’s go punch it in here. Let’s go make a play.’ We have a lot of guys that have a lot of confidence in us.”

After that pick-six, the Tigers did ultimately respond with a touchdown of their own by junior running back Phil Mafah. That was his second rushing touchdown of the game. He had to come in for fellow junior back Will Shipley in the second quarter. Shipley got stood up at the one-yard line by redshirt junior cornerback Shyheim Battle but had to leave the game because of a possible neck injury, and he was seen having neck x-rays after the game. It was difficult for Stellato and the rest of the team to lose one of their prominent offensive leaders, especially when the offense was struggling with their consistency.

“That’s tough. He’s one of our best players,” Stellato said. “He got hit pretty good there. I hate that. I hate that for him. I think he’s going to be okay, so that’s great news. But, he’s an ultra competitor, and he brings a great big spark for us obviously. So, losing him is big.”

Still, after losing Shipley, the Tigers got themselves back into the game. With 4:23 left in the game, down seven points, Clemson got the ball on their own eight-yard line. They were able to get the ball down to midfield with 1:15 left. A Klubnik sack on second down set up a third and long; an incomplete pass set up the fourth-and-19. The way that game ended shocked the Clemson offense, particularly Stellato, who pictured himself scoring the game-winning touchdown.

“We always have confidence. That comes from preparation, it comes from everything we put into a week,” Stellato said. “So, no doubt in my mind, I thought we were going to go win the game there. I thought I was going to go catch the game-winning touchdown. That’s the thought that came to my head. Ultimate confidence in Cade, myself, all the guys.”

With their next three games at home starting against Notre Dame this Saturday (Noon / ABC), then Georgia Tech the following Saturday, and North Carolina for Senior Day, Clemson faces a tough road to get to bowl eligibility. Notre Dame and North Carolina are both ranked currently, and Georgia Tech has garnered wins over their last two ranked opponents, with UNC the latest on Saturday. The Tigers will face the Gamecocks in the season finale. While the Gamecocks are sitting at 2-6 this season, they were able to beat Clemson last season and prevent them from potentially going to the playoffs.

This kind of challenge was certainly not what Tiger fans were expecting for this season. While players like Stellato are implying their position is a little out of their control with the freak plays that are occurring, he is still frustrated that the team is not living up to their standard, or his.

“We’re Clemson at the end of the day, and we have no business being 4-4. It’s not okay. It’s not our standard. It’s not my standard,” Stellato said. “So, it’s frustrating. It really is because we believe we should win every game, and we’re freak plays away.”