The scoreboard at Saturday’s Pinstripe Bowl said Penn State prevailed over Clemson, 22-10, but there were no winners in an error-filled affair — sans dozens of players who opted out or entered the transfer portal — which offered constant reminders of how a pair of perceived playoff locks ended up on a baseball field. 

“This season wasn’t great for us as far as what we usually like to do, but it’ll turn,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “The season is over. That’s a part of our story.” 

The Tigers (7-6), ranked No. 4 entering the season, were the overwhelming favorite of the nation’s weakest power conference, coming off their eighth ACC title in 10 years, and led by a two-time national championship-winning coach who predicted Clemson would be the first 16-0 team in college football history.

Even before their four-game win streak was snapped against Penn State, the Tigers had already clinched their worst record in 15 years, adding another forgettable chapter to a decade that Swinney once looked set to dominate. 

In a season that began with the Nittany Lions (7-6) ranked as the No. 2 team in the nation — coming off a playoff semifinal appearance — and followed with the mid-October firing of 12th-year head coach James Franklin, interim head coach Terry Smith closed with his fourth straight win to avoid the embarrassment of the the team’s first losing mark in a full season since 2004. 

“A game like today where it’s very cold outside and every hit hurts to the core of your body, our guys wore them down,” said Smith, who will serve on incoming head coach Matt Campbell’s staff. “Eventually they succumbed to it.” 

Cade Klubnik, a top-two preseason Heisman favorite, was one of the rare stars from either side to suit up, trying to revive a draft stock that’s seen him slip from a likely first-rounder to a potential Day 3 pick.

But the Clemson senior’s 40th career start could’ve been confused with his first, featuring several off-target passes and a stunning lack of pocket awareness.

Klubnik completed 22-of-39 for 193 yards with no touchdowns, but also received little help from his receiving corps — “The drops, I quit counting at seven,” Swinney said. “It was hard to watch.” — while being outplayed by Penn State’s redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer, who finished 23-of-34 for 262 yards and two touchdowns. 

Neither side reached the end zone until the fourth quarter, when Penn State’s Trebor Pena was sandwiched by a pair of defenders on a short slant, but bounced off both to finish a 73-yard touchdown, giving the Nittany Lions a 15-3 lead with 12:51 remaining.

Clemson scored on the next possession, via Adam Randall’s 2-yard touchdown run, but celebratory snowballs from Penn State’s fan section followed, as Grunkemeyer led a 75-yard touchdown drive, ending with an 11-yard catch by tight end Andrew Rappleyea. 

On his final snap, Klubnik was sacked for the fourth time, closing his collegiate career in the most inconceivable way — face down in shallow center field. 

“It didn’t go the way we all wanted it to go,” Swinney said. “We thought we’d win a national championship or two. But how many people did it go that way for?”