Clemson carrying memories of loss to Tide

Clemson center Justin Falcinelli remembers the quiet, hollow feeling in the locker room after last year’s Sugar Bowl loss to Alabama.

He vowed not to forget it. Not that Falcinelli could have even he had wanted to. Clips of the 24-6 defeat to the Crimson Tide in last year’s national semifinal are played on the team’s giant video board at the Tigers’ practice facility. Players regularly field questions from fans eager for Clemson to avenge the loss.

The reminders of the disappointment has motivated and driven the Tigers throughout the season.

Now No. 2 Clemson (140) gets its another crack at No. 1 Alabama (14-0) on Monday night in the national championship game in Santa Clara, California.

“It was a bit of a wakeup call,” Falcinelli said of the loss. “It’s driven us to say, ‘We did well, but there was still clearly plenty of room to improve.’ We’ve been focusing on that.”

Falcinelli said reflecting on the Alabama loss — Clemson has lost two of three CFP games to the Crimson Tide — was part of the routine during winter workouts , spring drills and summer weightlifting sessions.

“There’s always stuff to remind you why you’re working” to improve, Falcinelli said.

Last year’s AlabamaClemson contest was the latest episode in the dramatic series, during which the teams have traded nailbiting wins in championship games, Alabama 45-40 in January 2016 and Clemson 35-31 on a last-second TD pass 12 months later.