Clemson football fans will not remember Saturday’s season opener against Georgia fondly. The Bulldogs routed the Tigers 34-3. Following the game, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney on one person — himself.
Saturday marked Clemson’s first loss by 30 or more points since 2013. During the postgame wrapup, ESPN’s Booger McFarland was critical of Clemson and Swinney, saying among other things “It’s the same old thing,” noting that the Tigers had “No creativity on offense.”
Swinney had a similar opinion. He didn’t sugarcoat the loss, putting it squarely on his shoulders.
“When you get beat like that, that’s on the head coach,” Swinney said, per Ross Dellenger, Yahoo Sports. “Complete ownership of an absolute crap second half. Sometimes you get your butt kicked and we did today.”
Dabo Swinney post-game: “When you get beat like that, that’s on the head coach. Complete ownership of an absolute crap second half. Sometimes you get your butt kicked and we did today.”
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) August 31, 2024
As bad as the final score was, Clemson was in the game through the first two quarters. The Tigers were strong defensively, surrendering only six points in the first half but couldn’t do anything on offense and went into the locker room down 6-0. Georgia’s offense began to click in the second half, as — excluding the final possession of the game — the Bulldogs scored touchdowns on four of their five second-half possessions. Clemson, meanwhile, managed only one field goal.
If there’s good news for Clemson, it’s that Saturday’s game will almost certainly be the toughest game of the season for the Tigers. Not only are the Bulldogs ranked No. 1, but only two of Clemson’s remaining opponents (North Carolina State and Florida State) were ranked coming into Week 1.
[Ross Dellenger on X]
