Swinney responds to question about if his Clemson program is slipping

Dabo Swinney says his team is off to a good start this decade and poised for more success.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sun Jan 01 07:00:05 GMT-04:00 2023

MIAMI GARDENS, FL – Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was asked after the Orange Bowl Friday night how he would respond to critics who say the Tiger football program is slipping, compared to what it was just three or four years ago, and he said he was unsure what to say to them.

Clemson completed an 11-3 season with another ACC Atlantic Division title and ACC Championship, but lost to Notre Dame on the road, lost a one-point game to South Carolina at home and then lost to Tennessee in the Orange Bowl. It’s the second straight three-loss season, and some wonder if the glory days have passed Clemson by in the days of NIL and the transfer portal.

“I can't really -- I don't really know what to say to them. We're 11-3. Sure, I wish we were undefeated, but we've won the league seven out of the last eight years,” Swinney said. “I think that's only happened one other time, and that was in the '70s by Alabama. We've been pretty consistent, and we're going to continue to be consistent and keep trying to do everything we can to be undefeated around here.

“I think we won 11-plus games -- in 1981 we won 12. I think we went 31 years before we won 11 games again at Clemson, and we did that in 2012, and I think we've done it eight times in the last 11 years, so I think we've been incredibly consistent. Disappointing tonight for sure, but hey, we've got high -- nobody out there has higher expectations than what we have. I promise you that.”

Swinney said no one is waving the white flag of surrender and that better days are ahead.

“Again, we'll keep battling. We'll keep working. There's a lot of great days ahead. A lot of great days ahead. People say what they want to say,” Swinney said. “Always have, always will. We're just going to keep doing what we do. I've heard all those things before. We're off to a good start this decade, and if you look at the totality of our program, we've done a lot of great things.

“Then on top of that, we had 90 guys make a 3.0 this semester. 90. That's a school record. We had 17 guys make a 4.0 or better. For some people, it's all about the scoreboard; for our program, it's about really developing them in all areas. We've been able to do that consistently. Nobody has been more consistent than us.”

Clemson started freshman Cade Klubnik at quarterback and the Texas native drove Clemson into Tennessee territory seven times in the first half, but the Tigers came away with just three points.

“We're not perfect; we work hard and try to win every game. These guys bust their butt. Y'all saw what this kid (Klubnik) has got the ability to do,” Swinney said. “He's got some plays -- we all got plays we'd like to have back, but you got a chance to see how special he can be, and you see the heart of these guys. You've got a freshman, a sophomore and a senior sitting up here, and they are three of the greatest ambassadors that any university could ever have.

“Again, you want to win every single game, and when you're a competitor, that's what you strive for. But at the end of the day, seasons come and go. Every year is a new journey. We got better this year. We didn't get where we wanted to go, but we got better, especially coming off of a very challenging season last year. Man, I'm, again, thankful for the opportunity that we had to get here, and a lot of young guys to learn. I appreciate our fans that drove. We had a lot of fans come and support us, and really appreciate them and also appreciate the Orange Bowl people in making it a great week.”

He was then asked how he keeps his team together after a tough loss.

“Well, you're honest. We all take ownership. We stay together,” Swinney said. “You win and you lose together. When you step into a competitive arena, especially one like we compete in, you're going to win and you're going to lose. That's going to be part of it. You have to just keep -- you've got to manage the success and you've got to manage the failure, as we always say. Obviously we failed tonight. We've got to manage that. We've got to own that. But we also have to create the right perspective, because at the end of the day we're teachers. We always have an opportunity to teach.

“Like always, you watch the tape, you apply the lessons, and now that the season is over, you're going to study everything about our season, and we start back over in January.”

Swinney said the start of the 2023 season is just a few weeks away.

“January the 13th we'll have our first team meeting, we'll reset, and the 2023 journey will be upon us. We'll get back in the fight and go back to work,” he said. “We hit three out of our five goals this year. If we hit five out of five, you win the National Championship. We'll get back to work and see if we can have a better year next year, see if we can keep getting better. You just try to keep them together, be honest, and keep a good perspective.”