Renfrow on loss to Orange: "It sucked. I mean, it hurt"

Hunter Renfrow is one of the veteran leaders of the offense

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Oct 17, 2017, 4:09 PM

CLEMSON – Clemson wide receiver Hunter Renfrow met with the media after Friday's loss at Syracuse and was his usual, upbeat self.

Tuesday in Clemson, he admitted that the loss to the Orange wasn’t pleasant for any of the coaches or players.

“It sucked,” Renfrow said of the loss. “I mean, it hurt. It's good that it did suck."

Unranked Syracuse toppled the Tigers 27-24 in the Carrier Dome, and Clemson dropped in the polls. Losses happen in college football, but for a team like Clemson – one that had several impressive streaks going – to lose to a 3-3 and unranked team wasn’t a good look.

However, Renfrow said the loss was a reminder that the team has to do the “little things” consistently to be successful.

“I think the loss helped us,” Renfrow told reporters Tuesday. “As weird as that sounds, I think you start to look at the little things you’ve done and the little things you’ve gotten away from at the start of the season because you’ve had success.”

The loss brought back reminders of Clemson’s loss to Pitt last November. The Tigers rebounded from that loss and won out in claiming the school’s second National Championship. Clemson defeated Wake Forest and South Carolina to close out the regular season, beat Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship Game and knocked off Ohio St. and Alabama in the College Football Playoff.

Could the Syracuse loss provide the same kind of motivation? Renfrow says it can, but they have to understand that it takes the same kind of work.

“We can’t rest on last year’s laurels and take for granted that we’re going to respond the right way,” Renfrow said. “We’ve got to make sure we do it.”

Clemson takes on Georgia Tech in Death Valley, after the open date, travels to N.C. State for an ACC Atlantic showdown in Raleigh, hosts The Citadel in the final home game and then travels to Columbia to take on South Carolina in the regular season finale.

Win out, and the Tigers are back in the ACC Championship Game. It’s a road they’ve traveled before.

“Coach Swinney said it best in the locker room: Don’t forget who we are,” Renfrow said. “We have a proven way to win a national championship.”