For the second time in three weeks, Clemson football found itself on the wrong side of a last-second defeat. Aidan Birr’s 55-yard field goal as time expired lifted Georgia Tech to a 24-21 upset over the No. 12 Tigers at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday. The finish left Clemson at 1-2 (0-1 ACC), searching for answers. Dabo Swinney took responsibility for the defeat.
After the game, Swinney’s postgame comments show frustration with the final result. He was honest about the reality of his team’s struggles, but he also stressed accountability moving forward.
“We’ve got two losses that have come down to the last play. It’s that simple,” he said, pointing to both the Week 1 loss against LSU and Saturday’s defeat in Atlanta. For a program used to closing out, Swinney acknowledged that the Tigers have developed a bad habit. “We’ve won a lot of close games around here. Recently we’ve been finding ways to lose those games,” he admitted.
Swinney also knows a return to the College Football Playoff will be tough with two losses. “This is Clemson. We’ve got two tough, tough losses to two good teams. It’s my job to find a way to make those couple of plays. I take responsibility,” Swinney said.
While he praised his players’ effort, the offense and defense failing to click at the same time has been costly. “We had every opportunity,” he said. The Tigers started slow offensively and couldn’t string together consistent execution across all phases of the game.
Swinney also acknowledged the criticism following a loss of this magnitude, but urged his players to block out the noise.
“I know there’ll be a lot of criticism, a lot of negativity. It’s important that our team stays away from that. We’ve got a long way to go. This is competition. There are no quitters in that locker room and there’s no quit in me. That’s for sure,” he said.
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Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik had difficult game with costly turnovers. However, Swinney came to his defense and know his signal-caller is a baller. “He competed his butt off and gave us a chance to win. Gutsy, gutsy drive (to tie the game). Big plays.”
Swinney gave credit to Georgia Tech for the win. Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King returned from injury to deliver 319 total yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown. “He’s a frickin’ tough competitor," Swinney said. "Give him all the credit in the world."
When he was asked what needs to change, Swinney focused on the defense’s issues. “We’ve gotta figure out if it’s personnel, if it’s the call, if it’s how it’s being taught,” he said. Clemson allowed King to extend drives and Georgia Tech converted multiple long-yardage situations in the fourth quarter.
“It’s not about what we say. It’s about what we do. How about give LSU some credit? Give Georgia Tech some credit? We’re not entitled to win ... we’re not where we thought we’d be. But there’s plenty of good.”
The Tigers have slid in the polls since opening the season at No. 4. However, Swinney isn't focused on that aspect. “It’s not the start that we wanted, but we’ve got to stay together and fight our way out, one play at a time, one game at a time. We can’t do anything about what has happened,” he said.
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