Clemson football head coach Dabo Swinney voiced his disappointment with the fans’ reaction to the controversial onside kick ruling during Saturday’s 33-21 loss to Louisville. Late in the game, after Clemson cut the Cardinals’ lead to 12 points, it appeared Ronan Hanafin recovered an onside kick for the Tigers. However, the officials awarded possession to Louisville, and the call stood after video review.
Replay footage in the stadium showed Hanafin appearing to secure the ball before being swarmed by players, but the decision went against Clemson. Frustrated, fans, especially those in the student section, began throwing debris onto the field.
“That is not who we are at Clemson,” Swinney said during his Sunday conference call. “I get it, but they need to let me deal with the refs. That is just not something we should do here at Clemson. So, hopefully, we will learn from that, and that will not happen anymore.”
Clemson and the Tigers’ fans will look to recover from Saturday’s misery.