Clemson in danger of rare bowl game absence as Tigers suffer brutal loss to Duke

Clemson suffered a dramatic 46-45 loss to Duke, marking the Blue Devils' first victory in Clemson in 45 years. The game ended with a decisive 2-point conversion by Duke's Darian Mensah to Sahmir Hagans, following a critical pass interference call against Clemson. Duke's Nate Sheppard contributed with a 3-yard touchdown run, concluding an 11-play, 94-yard drive.

Clemson's head coach Dabo Swinney expressed visible frustration on the sidelines during the game, particularly with the performance of the secondary. This defeat places Clemson at 3-5 for the season, raising the possibility of missing a bowl game for the first time under Swinney if they fail to secure victories in three of their final four games against Florida State, Louisville, Furman, and South Carolina.

Historically, Clemson has experienced a losing season only once under Swinney, with the program's last losing record occurring in 2010. Currently