Dabo Swinney Highlights Clemson's 'Quiet Positive' after Rallying vs. Troy

The Clemson Tigers were coming off an emotional week against the LSU Tigers, and had been swamped in negative press after a poor showing in their lackluster 17-10 loss to open the season.

Then, after a lengthy delay on Saturday, they quickly found themselves down 16-0 to the visiting Troy Trojans. Could the unthinkable happen? This wasn't the 16-0 head coach Dabo Swinney had in mind when he thought his team could go undefeated in 2025.

The Tigers rallied to score 27 unanswered points, and Swinney was quick to praise the third phase of the game that played a crucial role in possibly saving the Tigers' season.

"The quiet positive in two games is our special teams," Swinney said after the game Saturday night. "(Nolan) Hauser had a couple big kicks; those were huge. Obviously, we stopped the fake. The execution of the deep onside was a big, big play in the game.

"Great job by Robert Gunn, and we kind of caught 'em off guard. The kid was fair catching it, and all of a sudden your starting field position's on the five-yard line.

"So, I thought that was really well executed."

Running back Adam Randall had 135 yards from scrimmage, including 112 yards rushing and a touchdown. Swinney was quick to praise him for sparking the offense with his special teams contribution.

"The 30-yard kickoff return by Adam was a big play. Jack Smith, I'm proud of Jack Smith. Y'all been asking me a lot of questions about our punters. He averaged 45. He was 44 last week; he was 45 today, had another 50-plus yarder. I'm really proud of him and the job he's done for us these first couple games."

Swinney is a veteran coach with a mature team. Clemson didn't panic when they were down 16-3 at halftime and staring at an unthinkable 0-2 start. The team returned from the half with the poise and calm of a team knowing they were the better squad.

"I think it's the third-biggest comeback in Death Valley history. There's a reason why there's only three. 'Cause usually when you get down like that, you usually get beat," Swinney said.

"So, just proud of the heart of our team. Their courage and toughness and resilience to get it done."

Clemson got it done against Troy, but a trip to Atlanta to take on the dangerous Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets looms on Saturday at Noon.

The Tigers will have a chance to show the college football world if they're the championship caliber team that woke up on Saturday night in the second half, or if the first six quarters were a harbinger for a disappointing season.