Swinney says the Tigers hit all the metrics but failed to finish

Cade Klubnik and the Clemson offense moved the ball, but the turnovers proved costly in defeat.

David Hood - Senior Writer - Tuesday, September 05 2023

DURHAM, NC – Clemson hit many of the number metrics it wanted to hit Monday night but still wound up 21 points short on the scoreboard in a desultory 28-7 loss at Duke’s Wallace Wade Stadium.

Clemson outgained Duke 422-374 and had a balanced attack with 209 yards through the air and 213 on the ground. The Tigers posted 29 first downs, were 7-of-15 on third down, ran 83 plays and led by almost seven minutes in time of possession.

But critical turnovers, bad special teams play and an inability to finish drives cost the Tigers.

“An incredibly disappointing loss that's honestly all my years of football, I've never been a part of a game like that ever,” head coach Dabo Swinney said. “Been here at Clemson a long time and we were 58-0 when we rushed for 200 and passed for 200. That’s usually a pretty good indicator. I think in Clemson history we were 108-0, never lost ever. But you got to finish, you got to finish and obviously, we did not do that. So many opportunities. On the one-yard line a couple of times, one for four in the red zone, obviously turnovers, three turnovers, a couple of low blocked kicks that really didn't even give them a chance. But again, twice, first and goal from the one and we get no points. It's really disappointing and really nothing else you can say about it. But again, you got to give them credit. They hung in there; they made plays.

"Again, we got a lot of yards and a lot of first downs, but we didn't make the critical play when we needed to to get the points.”

Swinney said he would feel better if Clemson had gotten “stoned.”

“We couldn't get out of our own way. Again, we got a lot of yards and a lot of first downs and a really good start to third down, 7-of-15, but we didn’t get points. Name of the game is points,” Swinney said. “And again, it's just routine, basic stuff that we did not do. Maybe I would feel better if we just went out there and got stoned, and we were one of eleven on third down, and we got stoned in the run game and whatever, but that's not what happened. What happened was they held up, and they finished better than we did in the critical plays that we needed to make.”

Swinney said the Tigers will have to flush this one fast because they host Charleston Southern this Saturday.

“We have a quick turnaround. “We have another game here in a couple of days, so just got to get back to work and put our head down,” Swinney said. “Obviously this is incredibly disappointing. People are going to see the score and make judgment on our team. But I love this football team, I love this team, and man, I see a lot of opportunity ahead, and so we got to stay together again, we got to do the routine things. We just didn't do the basic routine things in some critical situations, and that really cost us. But there's nothing we can do about it now but move forward and try to get a win this week and just put our head down and take them one at a time and look up, see if we can find a way to look back at the end of the season and say, 'Hey, man, that was a bad start, but we had a great finish.'”