Dabo Swinney Commemorates Clemson's Fight, Second-Half Comeback

Not many teams have the ability to overcome a double-digit comeback, and Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney believes it can define teams. 

That’s what his team did on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium, being down as much as 16 before scoring 27 unanswered points to earn the Tigers their first win of the season. 

“Guys stepped up and they responded, and it was a huge win for us,” Swinney said postgame. “Anytime you can get a win, it’s good.”

Swinney defines the game as “weird” compared to his other wins, mostly because of some of the success that the team had. The defense had a turnover in the first half, and then, a drive later, running back Adam Randall fumbled the ball in Troy territory to take away any chance of points being scored. 

Another drive had a tipped pass for a pick-six, leading the Tigers to have a double-digit deficit. It led to boos beginning to be heard throughout Memorial Stadium, which Swinney acknowledges that he heard. 

The Clemson head coach understands the fans struggles, which is only because winning is so important at the school. 

“Expectations are high here,” he said.  “We got to play better. This is a place that cares. And we show we care by how we play. That is part of the game. It is a passionate place.”

However, Swinney emphasized how it’s all about responding, which the team went on to do. 

“You just got to keep playing,” he said. “Again, the next drive, we went right down the field and we never looked back, so you just got to respond. It was a weird start but that’s what I was most proud of, again, because it was very frustrating at halftime.”

Five straight possessions with scores followed the pick-six. Clemson flipped the script and were able to figure out the run game after the first half, and quarterback Cade Klubnik was able to throw two touchdowns to aid the offense. 

On the other side of the ball, the defense forced three takeaways, which was a goal that defensive coordinator Tom Allen has every week. Though the team was one turnover away from achieving it against LSU, it shows the growth of the unit and the progression of what’s to come. 

It’s complimentary football, something that has been a winning ingredient for all the successful Clemson teams that Swinney has had

.

“That’s what you saw in the second half,” Swinney said.  “You saw complimentary football. . .when we play complimentary football, we can be a tough team to beat. But, that first half was Murphy’s Law. 

A team that doesn’t come from behind often to take wins, especially at home, Swinney said that what the team did on Saturday night was something that “champions do”.

“That’s what champions do. That’s what resilience looks like. That’s what courage looks like. That’s what toughness looks like, especially mental toughness, and I was super proud with how they responded, so just an incredible fight from our team and something that we can build on.”

Swinney and the Tigers will look to build on their win on Saturday into next weekend, when they begin ACC play against Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia.