Despite Orange Bowl Loss, 2022 Season Not a Disappointment for Tigers

Freshman wide receiver Adam Randall weighs in on the 2022 season after Clemson's disappointing loss to Tennessee in the Orange Bowl.

JP Priester | Jan 8, 2023

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

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MIAMI GARDENS, FL.- Clemson's 2022 season no doubt ended in disappointment with an Orange Bowl loss to Tennessee, but that doesn't mean the 2022 season was not a successful one.

After a dominating win over North Carolina in Charlotte, a rejuvenated Clemson offense was not nearly as successful in putting points on the board in the 31-17 loss to the Volunteers.

While the season may not have ended the way they would have liked, freshman wideout Adam Randall still thinks the team took a step forward in 2022.

"Tonight was disappointing, but I feel like our season is definitely not a disappointment," Randall told All Clemson. "We went out there and competed our tails off tonight. We just didn't get the outcome that we wanted to get. Hats off to Tennessee. They're a great team and the number six team in the country. You go out there and you give it your all and that's all you can do."

The Tigers dominated the time of possession, outgained Tennessee by more than 100 yards and went 7-of-19 on third down, but just could not finish off drives. Clemson was just 2-of-4 converting inside of the red zone, and missed three field goals.

"Sometimes things just have to click and I just felt like tonight we didn't have things come together, especially in the red zone," Randall said. "That was just the biggest disappointment. "We had a lot of trips in the red zone and we didn't convert. We moved the ball up and down the field, we executed our game plan well. We just needed to finish and get into the endzone and we just didn't do that tonight. But we've done that a lot this season so I can't really ask for more from this team and how competitive they were."

However, despite the disappointing night in Miami, Randall still considers the season a success. Clemson won ten or more games for the 12th straight season and are ACC champions for the seventh time in eight years, and looking back, the freshman wideout believes there were a lot of positives to build on going into the spring.

"Looking back on the season, you know, we had 11 wins and are ACC champions," Randall said. "So, I mean, we accomplished a lot of our goals and we're gonna continue to get grow and get better as we go into next season. So I'm excited to see what we have in store for the next year and I'm excited to get back on this journey in the spring. Sad to send the seniors off with the loss but we had a hell of a year and I can't ask for more."

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