Tigers try to shake off BC hangover

CLEMSON — From late Saturday night until Monday morning, James Davis didn't leave his home and didn't speak with teammates. He avoided watching SportsCenter and didn't dare watch a replay of his team's devastating loss to Boston College.

Davis needed to get away from football for a while, and Monday he pronounced his batteries recharged, his spirits rejuvenated. Whether Clemson's entire team can move past the costly defeat — and how quickly it happens — could play a large role Saturday in the No. 21 Tigers' regular season finale at South Carolina.

No one doubts this group will be ready to go when the pads are strapped, the lights are on at Williams-Brice Stadium, and the hated Gamecocks are on the other side of the ball. The crucial question is how long the hangover will persist during practice this week.

Last week's 20-17 loss assured Clemson (8-3) will go yet another year without an Atlantic Coast Conference title. A win would have put the Tigers in the championship game and allowed them to play for their first league crown since 1991.

"I think it's definitely a big transition for guys," said Davis, who had 12 carries for 10 yards in the loss. "Because there's a lot of guys on the team I know who still have got their heads down. … There's just a lot of stuff you've got to learn to get over and just move on."

Moving on could be easier proposed than practiced given the nature of this defeat. Clemson lost largely because of high-profile mistakes like dropped passes, busted coverage and bad snaps.

Two days later, receiver Aaron Kelly sat before reporters and tried to explain how he'll get past his big gaffe. With 42 seconds remaining, he dropped a deep pass from Cullen Harper down the left sideline. If he catches it, the Tigers probably win. Instead, the Tigers missed a 54-yard field goal that would have forced overtime.

"Football can be a very humbling game," said Kelly, who's a good bet for first-team All-ACC honors as a junior. "Sometimes you're on top, and sometimes you're not. As a competitor, I always want to make that play. It's something that I'll think about for a while. But you've got to put it in the back of your head and try to come back and play strong so that you don't let it affect the rest of the year."

For the Tigers, who saw their four-game winning streak snapped, some worthy goals remain. A 10-win season is still on the table, and the program hasn't done that in 17 years. Clemson could also still land in the Chick-fil-A or Gator bowls, the ACC's top two postseason tie-ins after the Bowl Championship Series.

This team would also like to atone for last year, when the Gamecocks overcame a two-touchdown deficit in the second half and won 31-28 in Death Valley.

"It's good that South Carolina is one of those teams you don't really need any of the coaches to talk to you and get you motivated and pumped up for," Kelly said. "Because it is a rivalry game. It is a game that all of us look at the whole entire year as a game you want to win and play well in. You really don't need much pumping up or extra motivation for this game."

Still, it's fair to wonder whether this team will be able to recover emotionally. Last year, the Tigers started 7-1 before getting undressed in a Thursday night game at Virginia Tech. They lost all hope of a division title in a 13-12 home loss to Maryland the next week, but a 10-win season was still within reach.

Clemson barely beat North Carolina State, followed by the home defeat to the Gamecocks and a 28-20 Music City Bowl loss to Kentucky.

The Tigers have said all along that this year's team is made of more resilient fibers. In the aftermath of Saturday's loss, defensive end Phillip Merling and linebacker Nick Watkins delivered locker-room speeches that seemed to inspire.

This week's practices could determine how much that inspiration resonated.

"The people who lead vocally need to speak out, because it could be a tough week of practice," said junior receiver Tyler Grisham. "We still have a good team. We still have a great chance to finish out great."

Reach Larry Williams at lwilliams@postandcourier.com.