Clemson football's 2023 season started in disaster with a massive upset loss to Duke on Monday. The 28-7 loss was Clemson's worst SEC loss since 2014.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney almost couldn’t believe what he saw from his team, who entered the game ranked ninth in the country and were a two-touchdown favorite in some sportsbooks.

“That's the weirdest game I've ever been a part of,” Swinney said, via David Hale. “I've been beat. I've had my butt kicked. But that's the strangest game I've ever been a part of.”

“It's almost indescribable what I just saw. It's incredibly frustrating when you had so much opportunity. … It's routine stuff. The basics. The fundamentals. Basic, basic stuff.”

Statistically, Clemson played well enough to win the game. The Tigers both rushed and passed for over 200 yards, a stat line that Swinney said the program was undefeated with before the loss to Duke, going 108-0 all-time before Monday.

In more ways than one, Clemson beat themselves. The Tigers turned the ball over three times, had two field goals blocked and scored seven points on four red zone chances. Both Clemson fumbles happened inside the 10-yard line.

The 2023 Clemson football team doesn’t appear to be the same powerhouse that made six straight College Football Playoff appearances and won two national championships from 2015-2020. With Dabo Swinney at the helm though, the Tigers were expected to be a top-10 team and at the very least have no trouble beating Duke. Monday's game showed that even the best teams can have a nightmare game.