Dabo Swinney didn’t sugarcoat it after Clemson’s 51-10 loss to LSU on Saturday night in Baton Rouge.
His first message was blunt: “The best thing about that one is, it’s over.”
From there, Swinney kept coming back to the same theme - Clemson has to own the result, flush it, and move on. He called it “Just a poor performance. Not what we worked for or expected,” while also giving LSU credit for executing its plan.
“We’ve got to take ownership of what happened in the game,” Swinney said. “All we can do is try to let it develop us and get back to work on Monday. ...
We’ve got a long season ahead. If we’ll let this develop us, then we’ll get better from it.”
The Clemson coach didn’t soften his assessment of what happened on the field. He said, “We just got out-played out-coached in every facet tonight,” and added, “We did not do what we needed to do to win a football game like this or to give ourselves a chance.”
Swinney also made it clear he doesn’t want the opener to hang over the team.
“This one is over. I know everybody’s focus will be on the score.
We’ve got to put our focus on what we can control. This one is over.”
He called the night “kind of a worst-case scenario for us,” but insisted Clemson can’t let it become something bigger than a single game. “We can’t let it define us or destroy us.
We’re going to get better. We are going to get better.”
Swinney said LSU is “a really good football team” and added, “we’re a lot better than we played.”
He was even more direct a little later: “We got our ass kicked, but we lost the game. It counts as one. It’s an embarrassing performance, coaching and playing.”
With another game coming next week, Swinney said the only option is to reset quickly. “We’ve got to find a way to win next week.
You can’t come back and play this one. This one is over.”
And he stressed that the disappointment can’t linger. “We cannot let one game linger.
We’ve got to flush it and move on. I know our fans are disappointed.
We all are.”
Asked about new offensive coordinator Chad Morris’ debut, Swinney said, “Obviously not good, right? We didn’t do anything good.
I thought we had great preparation. We put so much into it. ...
He’ll get them better. Tonight was not what we hoped for or worked for or expected.”
Swinney also said he didn’t know whether Christopher Vizzina would start next week at quarterback. “I don’t know. ... We’ve got to watch the tape and evaluate and go from there.”
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That matters because Clemson is also bracing for the likely loss of defensive tackle Markus Strong, who is expected to be out for the season after suffering a lower-leg injury in a recent game. Between Burleys return and Strongs injury, the Tigers interior line picture has shifted quickly, and the next few weeks will tell just how much depth they can piece together before conference play starts to sharpen the stakes. [Read more 🡒]
Clemsons Ugly Opener Put Dabo Swinney Under An Unwanted Spotlight
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The bigger issue, though, is what the opener said about where Clemson stands around its head coach. Dabo Swinney is used to having the benefit of the doubt, but this one invited more questions than answers, from the way the game was handled to how much work remains before the Tigers look like a finished product. The next few weeks will say plenty about whether the loss was just a bad night or the first sign that Clemson has more fixing to do than anyone wanted to admit. [Read more 🡒]
Clemsons Home Opener Comes With A Price Fans Will Notice
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The deal also spells out the usual logistics that come with bringing a road team to town, including ticket allotments and access for Georgia Southerns team and staff. It is the sort of behind-the-scenes bookkeeping that rarely gets much attention on game day, even though it helps shape the business side of a September Saturday in Death Valley. [Read more 🡒]