Tag: dabo sweeney

Shipley shines as Clemson defeats Louisiana Tech 48-20

Shipley shows out as Clemson takes down Louisiana Tech.

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers remain undefeated as No.5 Clemson took down Louisiana Tech 48-20 Saturday night at Death Valley.

Starting running back Will Shipley had his best performance of the season, making his impact felt on the game. Shipley took 12 carries for 139 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 11.6 yards per carry while adding two catches for 14 yards.

DJ Uiagalelei was solid under center for the Tigers completing 17 of 29 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns. He was also active on the ground, running the ball nine times for 62 yards.

On the defensive side of the ball, the unit was somewhat underwhelming though they were missing multiple starters. The defensive line didn’t allow an inch on the ground allowing just 6 yards on 21 attempts. It was through the air where Louisiana Tech did their damage, throwing the ball for 311 yards.

Now 3-0, we will next see Swinney and the Tigers Saturday, Septemeber 24th, when they travel to Winston-Salem (N.C.) to take on Sam Hartman and Wake Forest.

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Ranking ACC teams by returning production

Clemson returns over 70 percent of its production from last season, but how do the Tigers stack up against the rest of the ACC?

It can be difficult at times to predict which college football teams will have tremendous success each season, but one indication to look for is the players that return to their respective programs.

Whether it be a fifth-year senior linebacker or a rising junior quarterback, having experienced players return for another season can give certain teams an edge over others that lose talent to the NFL draft, transfer portal or eligibility rules.

To properly examine the roster turnover ahead of the 2022 season, ESPN’s Bill Connelly recently broke down each FBS team’s returning production. Compared to the other conferences, the ACC is the third-highest in terms of average returning production at 66.5%.

As for Clemson, most of its offensive starters from last season will return this fall. The Tigers will lose, however, a lot of defensive production in the secondary with Andrew Booth Jr., Mario Goodrich and Nolan Turner departing for the NFL. Still, considering the team’s talent on both sides of the ball, Clemson’s ranking may be higher than some expect.

With that being said, here is where each ACC team ranks.

Dabo: Notre Dame is daggum playoff worthy

Dabo Swinney

Should Notre Dame be a College Football Playoff team after getting run off the field by Clemson in Saturday’s ACC Championship?

The debate only grows between the Fighting Irish and 8-1 Texas A&M as it’d appear that the CFP Committee is fully on-board with Ohio State based off how they’ve ranked the Buckeyes all fall, despite having played just six games.

Dabo Swinney took his chance to support Notre Dame’s CFP case after Saturday’s win, noting the accomplishments of the Irish this season.

“Absolutely Notre Dame deserves to be in because they’re daggum 10-1!, they played 11 games and twice stepped in the ring with Clemson,” Sweeney said after Saturday’s game, “No way would I punish someone for playing more games.”

“That’s what we seem to be doing,” Sweeney added, “I don’t get that.  Notre Dame should be in.”

Swinney and Brian Kelly have both gone on the muscle about the number of games played mattering when determining CFP teams.

It feels like a lost cause for me to argue against Ohio State.  The CFP committee has continuously put the Buckeyes in the top-four this season and even if they didn’t look all that great against Northwestern on Saturday, they still won which makes it nearly impossible to think they’d fall out of the top-four.

It seems like the debate that will be had won’t so much involve Ohio State to earn the final playoff spot, but instead appears to be more likely a Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M debate with the committee.

Related: 5 Instant Takeaways from Notre Dame’s blowout loss to Clemson in ACC Championship