Last week I highlighted several special moments that stood out for me in following Clemson football from 2011-2015 (be sure to read that if you haven’t already!). Now we step from “the ascension” of Clemson football to what I will unabashedly call the “dynastic era.”

As with last time, I write this to bring you back to some awesome times as America grapples with the COVID-19 crisis. I hope this gives you a little escapism from the everyday. I hope it also causes you to reflect on how good we’ve had it in football as well as how good we have it as Americans and modern people living with modern medicine. With that being said, we start with the best college football I’ve ever attended:

Marcus Edmond Forces Louisville WR Out, Watson and Tigers beat Lamar Jackson and Cardinals (2016)

When #3 Louisville came to #5 Clemson in 2016, they were a slight favorite, thanks to the presence of Heisman front-runner QB Lamar Jackson. After Louisville’s recent demolition of then still respected Florida State, it wasn’t too surprising.

After a scoreless first quarter, Clemson jumped all over the Cardinals in the second. Three passing TDs from Watson and a Wayne Gallman touchdown run gave the Tigers a 28-10 lead at halftime. It seemed Clemson had the better QB to go along with the better supporting cast and defense. The line from Las Vegas was looking awfully silly.

Holding an 18-point lead, things quickly started falling apart for Clemson. Their first possession of the second half ended with an interception. Louisville turned it into a touchdown (PAT blocked). After a Clemson punt, Louisville kicked a field goal. Clemson countered with a 7 play 70 yard drive, but TE Jordan Leggett fumbled on the 5-yard line. The Cardinals recovered and scored a touchdown on the ensuing possession. That brought the score within 2 points, 28-26. A Cardinals field goal gave them the lead and then a Deshaun Watson interception - his third of the game - paved the way for a Louisville touchdown to extend the Cardinals to 8. The Tigers had allowed 26 consecutive points. With that, it seemed Lamar Jackson had proven himself the best QB and Louisville the best offense in the country. The swings of emotions were unreal. The crowd was still raucous, but the energy had turned to desperate and pleading.

With 7:52 remaining and Clemson now trailing 36-28, Artavis Scott ripped off a 77-yard return that set-up a TD strike to Mike Williams. After a failed two-point conversion left them trailing by 2 points, Clemson would need a stop and then another score. The defense held up their end of the bargain and on Clemson’s next possession, Watson found Jordan Leggett, who redeemed his earlier fumble by slicing through the secondary and reaching the end zone. The Tigers took a four-point lead, but left plenty of time for the dynamic Lamar Jackson to win it on the final possession.

Jackson seemed poised to do just that as they quickly moved into Clemson territory. With 0:40 remaining, The Cardinals had reached the Clemson 9-yard line, but faced 4th-and-7. After a timeout, the Cardinals took the field to the loudest crowd I’ve ever heard at a live sporting event. It was so loud in fact, that the Cardinals committed a critical false start penalty. On 4th-and-12 Lamar a Jackson found WR James Quick open four yards past the line of scrimmage. He caught it with room to run. CB Marcus Edmond the only one who could make a play in the open-field. Here’s what he did:

After forcing James Quick out of bounds short of the first down the celebration began. I vividly remember that moment. A close family friend of ours had given us tickets in the lower deck right where that play happened. We had a perfect view and immediately knew he was short. As the crowd went wild, I had to sit down just to take it all in. I was exhausted from all the emotions of the game and couldn’t believe they had come back. It was the best show of any kind I’d ever seen, and I was all but certain they would win the National Championship. They truly had the heart of a champion and nothing could stop them.

NC State Blows it! (2016)

On Clemson’s first possession of the game, the heavily-favored Tigers pushed past the 50-yard line and were driving when a helmet-to-helmet hit knocked RB Wayne Gallman out and caused a fumble. No targeting penalty was called, and the Wolfpack recovered the fumble.

The Tigers managed a 10-3 halftime lead before Watson threw the first (and I believe only) pick-six of his college career on the first play from scrimmage in the second half. That tied the game at 10-10. NC State RB Matthew Dayes worked the Tiger defense for much of the game and with the score knotted at 17-17 he couldn’t be stopped. Opting for a more conservative strategy in the waning moments, NCSU Head Coach Dave Doeren melted the clock as his running back continued to pick up first down and first down. They got it all the way to Clemson 16-yard line before milking the clock and calling a timeout with 0:02 remaining.

It was set to be a ridiculous letdown loss that could cost Clemson a playoff bid or at the very least leave them with worse seeding and no margin. My buddy watching with me was as exasperated as I and after a few choice words suggested we leave. Fortunately, we didn’t and we watched the field goal team set-up and then shank the gimme game-winner.

It was the most glorious of all NC State failings. The swing in momentum at that point was insurmountable. Clemson got the ball first in OT and quickly scored on a TD pass to Artavis Scott. Then, on NCSU’s first offensive play, they thew deep only for the hero of the Louisville game, CB Marcus Edmond, to intercept the pass and end the game. The Tigers remained undefeated. Not only did they have the heart of champions, but they had some luck too!

Clemson Plants Their Flag Atop the Mountain, Renfrow Becomes a Hero (2016)

I’ve previously written about why a first title would mean so much for Clemson and after it was achieved that it was how we did it mattered most. That championship was incredibly special and the game winning play was unforgettable.

That specific moment, the Watson roll-out, the Wayne Gallman pass pick-up, the pass to Renfrow, the catch... it was the most emotionally cathartic moment just about any Clemson fan has ever felt. The the build-up to the moment still feels like the crescendo of my entire sports fanhood.

All the good moments discussed prior to this lead up to this point, but so did some bad ones. Year’s of Pre-Dabo struggles. A five-game losing streak to U of SC. An embarrassing 2013 loss to FSU. Most of all though, was outplaying Alabama in 2015, a shock to everyone, but falling just short due to some busts in the secondary and special teams mistakes. That 2015 season seemed magical and was still the most fun season I’ve ever experienced. It was supposed to end with a title. 2016 was redemption for all that. A nervous tension characterized the entire year. With Watson and so many of his weapons departing after 2016, it felt like this was it.

The Tigers held a late lead in the National Championship game, they were so close, and then Alabama QB Jalen hurts broke off a TD run to give Alabama the lead, leaving Clemson just over 2 minutes to tie or win the game.

What ensued was the greatest drive in Clemson history. The Tigers got it down to the nine-yard line before attempting a pass to WR Mike Williams. The defender yanked him down, which may have been the smart play because it prevented a TD and left Clemson with only 0:06. Clemson decided to squeeze in one more play before settling for a field goal. Here’s how it went:

I was in the upper deck in Tampa near the end zone where the play was happening. I remember Renfrow breaking open. I remember screaming “he’s wide open,” and then time froze and the ball hung in the air for what felt like an eternity. Finally, the beloved Hunter Renfrow reeled it in and held on after a hard hit. I turned to my wife and screamed “we did it” and continued to repeat it until the frog in my throat stopped me. It is the greatest singular sports moment I’ve ever experienced and if you’re a reader of our site, I bet you feel the same way.

Ben Boulware Gives Emotional Post-Championship Speech Crediting Players of the Past Who Built Clemson’s Program (2016)

If you didn’t lose it when Ben Boulware gave his post-game speech, I don’t know what to tell you. The emotion pouring our from a lifelong Clemson fan who realized his dream and in his senior year brought the title to Clemson was unreal. This was an incredibly special moment. When he mentioned Stephone Anthony and CJ Spiller and all the greats who got Clemson’s program to this point, it was another catharsis of emotion after what felt like an eternity of striving finally reaching its destination!

“I’m so happy to see the fruit of our labor... I’m so happy for our family. It’s not just for us. This for the Tajh Boyds, the Stephone Anthonys, the Grady Jarretts, the Nuk Hopkins, Sammy Watkins. Y’all built this. You started this foundation. All we did was built upon it. And we finished it... We finally took it home baby!”

Chase Brice Comes Through for Tigers in His Big Moment (2018)

2018’s 15-0 Clemson Tigers only had two close calls. The first was in Week 2 at Texas A&M when QB Kellen Mond nearly pushed the game into overtime. The other was at home against Syracuse.

It was the culmination of a stressful week. Alabama looked unbeatable and many Tiger fans were clamoring for Trevor Lawrence and his sky high upside to take over at QB so Clemson didn’t cruise to a playoff matchup against the Crimson Tide only to get waxed like they did the year before in the Sugar Bowl. In the lead up to the Week 5 matchup against Syracuse, Coach Swinney announced that Trevor Lawrence would start. That elicited excitement from Clemson fans, but when Kelly Bryant didn’t show up for practice, the mood soured. After a strange few days, he left the team and Clemson QB room was a man down. Chase Brice was promoted to second-string.

When game time came, Lawrence came out of the gates a little shaky and then was knocked out of the game by a hard hit that jarred his head back and injured his neck. Chase Brice came in and initially didn’t look so sharp throwing an interception and giving Clemson fans worry. It was hard to believe. The very week Kelly Bryant had left, Trevor Lawrence got hurt, was out for who knows how long, and the player who was supposed to be the third-stringer was out there with the season on the line.

A muffed punt put Clemson in a hole, but the Tigers fought back to give themselves a chance to win on the final drive. Clemson leaned on Travis Etienne, Tavien Feaster, and Adam Choice and all seemed fine until a false start on 4th & 1 put the game in Chase Brice’s hands for what would turn out to be the biggest play of the year.

“Brice with lots of TIIIIIIIME! What a throw. A strike for a first down to Tee Higgins”

In the biggest moment of his football career, Chase Brice came through in the clutch for the Tigers. After a long run by Chase Brice, the running backs finished off the drive with a TD and the defense sealed the deal as Xavier Thomas sacked Eric Dungey and the defense held off any last ditch hopes.

Chase Brice won the “Clemmy” for Best Moment of the year and will forever have a place in Clemson lore as his play preserved what would become the first 15-0 season in modern college football history. That 2018 Clemson team is among the greatest ever (along with 2013 FSU and 2019 LSU). They wouldn’t be in the tier, and may not even be National Champions, if not for Chase Brice’s clutch moment.

AJ Terrell Pick-Six Sparks Clemson National Championship Domination over Alabama (2018)

What an incredible experience to be in Santa Clara to see your alma mater totally dismantle a dynasty. It got off to a quick start when AJ Terrell picked off Tua Tagovailoa and took it to the house. Half the stadium was pure pandemonium as the invincible team suddenly looked mortal.

Justyn Ross’s One-Handed Catch Ends Alabama Comeback Hopes, Clemson wins 44-16 (2018)

Clemson really took control of the 2018 National Championship after halftime, and it was Justyn Ross’s insane one-handed play that, at least for me, confirmed it was over. Facing 3rd & 9 with 2:31 left in the third quarter, and Clemson already up 21, Alabama desperately needed a stop and score. When Ross’s outstretch arm reeled in the deep pass from Lawrence, it wasn’t initially a cheer from the Clemson section, but a “holy cow.” I remember at that moment moving from a mindset of excitement and anxiousness to one of awe and celebration. We might just be replacing Alabama as the best program in the sport.

Tigers’ 16-0 Comeback Fueled by 67-Yard Trevor Lawrence Run (2019)

2019 was full of domination and doubt. The ACC crumbled around Clemson and their domination of their fellow league members impressed few in the media. While there were plenty of advanced stats and past seasons to dismiss concerns that Clemson was a paper tiger beating up on cupcakes. Nevertheless, when Clemson fell down 16-0 to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl, the reality was the media might be right.

A Tiger TD brought it to 7-16, but it still wasn’t looking good. Then Trevor Lawrence broke off a big run with just over a minute left in first half. He got to the Ohio State 40 and suddenly it looked like he might be faster than the players chasing him. Screaming “stay in, stay in” we watching as he barely stayed in bounds and brought the Tigers back to within striking distance, 14-16, after being thoroughly outplayed for most of the first half.

Nolan Turner Interception Sends Tigers to Fourth National Championship Game of Swinney-Era (2019)

After trailing 16-0, the Tigers roared back and took a late lead, but Ohio State had the ball with a chance to win and Justin Fields was tearing through Clemson’s defense. JK Dobbins, who had made his mark in the running game, was now reeling in catch after catch. With 0:43 left, trailing by 6, Fields took a shot at the end zone. Fortunately, Nolan Turner had his receiver covered. When the receiver got confused and broke off the route, Turner had his eyes on the QB and snared the game-winning interception. Clemson moved to 14-0 on the season (5-0 all-time against Ohio State) and headed to their fourth National Championship game in five seasons.

I hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane. Hopefully we’re just months away from getting more memorable moments with the Clemson community. Be sure to share any special moments from 2015-2019 that I’ve neglected.