Clemson had faced Duke on the football field 10 times this century before Monday. It had only lost once, and not since 2004.

In the debut of a new and supposedly improved offense — led by offensive coordinator Garrett Riley and quarterback Cade Klubnik — No. 9 Clemson was held to just a single score Monday night in a 28-7 loss to Duke. It was just the fifth win for Duke over Clemson since 1980.

It’s Duke’s first-ever win over a ranked team in a season opener. It also snaps a streak of 28 consecutive losses for Duke to teams ranked inside the AP Top 10. The last time the Blue Devils beat a top-10 team, George H. W. Bush was in the White House.

Clemson had 4 red zone trips on Monday night but came away with just one score. It was a comedy of errors in the second half.

The Tigers’ second-half possessions ended with a missed field goal, a fumble, a fumble, a turnover on downs, an interception, and a turnover on downs. In that order.

Clemson had no issues moving the football, topping 422 yards of total offense and actually outgaining the Blue Devils. The ground game alone produced 213 rushing yards, led by Will Shipley’s 114 yards on 17 carries.

But the Tigers were incredibly sloppy. And Duke made them pay, scoring 15 second-half points off Clemson turnovers.

The Tigers were viewed as a College Football Playoff contender coming into the year. Clemson went 11-3 last year with DJ Uiagalelei leading the way for most of the year until Klubnik took over late. They won an ACC title over North Carolina but then lost a laugher to Tennessee in the Orange Bowl.

Uiagalelei left in the offseason to join Oregon State. He completed 20 of his 25 passes for 239 yards and five total touchdowns in a 42-17 Beaver win on Sunday.

And Clemson’s season starts on the wrong side of a field storming.