Things did not go to plan for the Clemson Tigers in the 2022 Orange Bowl against the Tennessee Volunteers, ultimately falling in the game. That led to some harsh criticisms of Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney.
It was rough from the very beginning for Clemson and Swinney, who came out of the gate with a wild fake field goal attempt to his son Drew Swinney that was unsuccessful in Tennessee territory on their first drive.
Tennessee shuts down the Clemson fake field goal play! 🏈💪 #OrangeBowl pic.twitter.com/O1S0MugrAb
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) December 31, 2022
Clemson was only able to put up three points in the first half after a whopping three missed field goals from senior kicker B.T. Potter in the half.
Potentially the biggest indictment on Clemson’s performance in the first half came when freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik decided to scramble with only 15 seconds remaining in the half deep into Tennessee territory.
With no timeouts remaining and inside Tennessee's 15-yard line, Clemson freshman QB Cade Klubnik takes off running before getting pummeled as the 2nd-quarter clock runs out.
Dabo Swinney was not happy. 🏈 #OrangeBowl pic.twitter.com/E4vJwmjKAK
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) December 31, 2022
He would get a two-yard gain on the play, but they were unable to stop the clock without any timeouts, ending the half without crucial points.
Things didn’t get much better for Clemson’s offense in terms of points scored for the rest of the game. They were only able to put up 14 total points despite outgaining Tennessee in total yards in the game, losing the game 31-14.
The college football world took to social media to blast Swinney for some of these crucial errors that ultimately cost Clemson the game.
“Dabo Swinney vowed not to compete in College Football if NIL came to pass, and at least tonight he’s keeping his promise,” tweeted RedditCFB.
Dabo Swinney vowed not to compete in College Football if NIL came to pass, and at least tonight he’s keeping his promise.
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) December 31, 2022
“I could coach a better game than what Dabo Swinney is putting together right now,” tweeted Conor McCormick-Cavanagh of Denver Westword.
I could coach a better game than what Dabo Swinney is putting together right now
— Conor McCormick-Cavanagh (@ConorMichael28) December 31, 2022
It is clearly not the conclusion the Clemson fans were hoping to see, and it certainly seems like the Clemson faithful believe that Swinney played a big part in the loss on Friday.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.