Clemson record ‘special’ for Jake Briningstool, who looks to be role model

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BLACKSBURG, Virginia - The Tigers were able to come back against Virginia Tech and keep their hopes alive for the ACC Championship, with Jake Briningstool playing a historic part in that.

“The defense had our back. So, the biggest thing for us was just come back, responding, do what we do. We know what to do, just being able to go out there and execute,” senior tight end Jake Briningstool said. “So, (head coach) Coach (Dabo) Swinney had a good message for us. (Offensive coordinator) Coach (Garrett) Riley challenged us, came on in the second half and got the job done.”

There is no replacement for adversity. Clemson has faced a lot of adversity between last year and this season. They started the season with a blowout loss against Georgia and suffered an uncharacteristic loss against Louisville last time out at home. But, Briningstool said the Tigers have the right guys in the locker room to persevere.

“We’ve been through a ton of adversity, going back to last year, even last week. So, just being able to bounce back. That’s something that (we’re) made of,” Briningstool said. “We got a lot of great guys in the locker room. We trust each other, believe in each other, just being able to stick together as a team, go out there and get a win.”

This game also marked a historic landmark for Briningstool. On his 12-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter, Briningstool became the Clemson all-time leader in receptions by a tight end with 113 receptions.

While it is an incredible accomplishment, he takes more pride in being the example for the young tight ends on Clemson’s roster.

“It’s pretty special for me. There’s a lot of great tight ends that played here. A lot of great tight ends on the team now. It’s a pretty cool accomplishment, but (I’m) ready to just keep going,” Briningstool said. “The thing I’m most proud of would just be the younger guys, being that example (at) tight end for guys like (sophomore) Olsen (Patt-Henry), guys like (redshirt freshman) Markus (Dixon) to look up to, even (true freshman) Christian (Bentancur), just (got here) this year. Just being the example for guys to look up to.

“I had a lot of guys in front of me. They played the position at a high level, really good job teaching me, bringing me along. So, just being able to replicate that and pass on the knowledge (to them).”

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