Dabo Swinney and the No.25 Clemson Tigers had a tough Week 1, where they were upset on the road against Mike Elko and the Duke Blue Devils.
The start to the season no one wanted, the Tigers (0-1, 0-1 ACC) were thrashed 28-7 in a sloppy performance that handed Duke their first win against the program since 2004. A season with so much promise and anticipation started in about the worst way possible, as self-inflicted wounds were a major issue for the Tigers.
With Week 1 behind us, it is all about how Clemson responds. They’ve got the right head coach for a response, as Swinney is not giving up on this team.
“Just critical, critical, critical mistakes and errors, and it’s a gut-wrenching thing, man. It is,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “You work so hard. I love this team, though. I really do. I love this team, I love the staff, and we’ve got to stay together, and we’ve got to bounce back and get back to work.”
Swinney isn’t giving up on this team, but he knows others are going to. When you have a performance like this to start the season, questions will be raised, and many will think the worst. Regardless, Swinney, of how people feel, knows this team will bounce back.
“I know a lot of people are probably going to quit on us and give up on us and throw us away. But man, I ain’t quitting, and I ain’t throwing this team away,” the head coach said. “We’re going to bounce back, and we’re going to get better; we’re going to learn from it. I love the kids in the locker room, and we’ll stay together, and we’ll get back to work.”
There is still a ton of season left, so it is too late to call this season over. The Tigers’ first opportunity to bounce back comes against Charleston Southern in Clemson’s home opener.