Tigers Head Coach Dabo Swinney was brutally honest in the post-game presser as Georgia dismantled Clemson’s challenge, securing a convincing 34-3 victory at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
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What shocked Clemson fans was how the team collapsed after showing promise in the first half. A vocal Swinney acknowledged the hard-fought first half but admitted that the game swung in Georgia’s favor as they completely outplayed Clemson in the second half.
He also praised Georgia’s strong finish in the third and fourth quarters while taking personal responsibility for the Tigers loss:
“When you get beat like that, that’s on the head coach, that’s on me. So that’s just complete ownership of just a absolute crap second half and just you know really disappointed but I’ve done it long enough you know.”
This marked Swinney’s third-worst loss during his 17-year tenure at Clemson. In a career of many highs, Swinney became head coach of the Clemson Tigers seven games into the 2008 season after Tommy Bowden’s resignation.
Under his leadership, Clemson won national championships in 2016 and 2018.
However, with limited time to bounce back before their game against Appalachian State next Saturday, the experienced head coach reflected on the missed opportunities and how they fared in 30-minute intervals.
Swinney revisits dramatic loss
The veteran head coach recalled a crucial play in the first half where Clemson had the advantage but failed to convert it into a touchdown. Swinney admitted his team didn’t take “advantage” of such opportunities, which contributed to their disappointing loss:
“We needed some early momentum and we made a couple of plays and we made a huge play and you know they said we weren’t lined up right. Said we were quite up on the ball. He thought he was on the ball you know. You look at the tape it’s close, but that was huge. Huge huge missed opportunity in the first half.”
Additionally, Swinney criticized the defense’s poor performance in the second half, citing missed tackles and letting Georgia QB Carson Beck “hold the ball” on third and long, leading to several big plays.
It was indeed a forgettable weekend for Clemson. While Swinney was detailed in his post-game analysis, fans will hope the team addresses these concerns and delivers an improved performance next week.
