Dabo Swinney addresses expected criticism after Georgia Tech loss: 'I'll be fine'

For just the second time in the Dabo Swinney era at Clemson, the Tigers have opened the season 1-2.

After narrowly falling to No. 9 LSU 17-10 at home in its season opener, Clemson bounced back last week and held off Troy 27-16 in a game where it trailed 16-0 at one point. Their struggles continued on Saturday, as it fell on the road at Georgia Tech 24-21 via a walk-off 55-yard field goal by kicker Aidan Birr.

With frustration mounting around Swinney and the program, he addressed the expected criticism postgame. He revealed that he and his team will be fine, but emphasized the need to not let 1-2 turn into 1-3 next week against Syracuse.

“I think our league is really good,” Swinney said. “I think there’s a lot of really good teams in this league. The year will prove that out. I think anybody will be able to have an opportunity to win this league, and certainly Georgia Tech will have an opportunity. But, for us, we just gotta go try and find a win to win a game. We can’t worry about what could have been, we gotta just stay focused on what still can be.”

“The only thing worse than 1-2 is 1-3, so we’ve gotta go find a way to win a game and we can’t put our head down and pout. For me, I’ve had enough praise, love, hate and criticism to last three lifetimes. So, I’ll be fine. But I hurt for our team. I hurt for our team, because we just have great young men and they truly love Clemson and they love eachother. They care, but in completion, there’s a winner and a loser.”

Clemson once again fell into an immediate hole, as Georgia Tech took a 13-0 lead with 7:46 remaining in the second quarter. Trailing by 13, the Tigers scored 14 unanswered points to take a one-point lead early in the third quarter. Brent Key‘s team however bounced back and scored via a Haynes King rushing touchdown with 10:02 remaining, taking a seven-point lead following a successful two-point conversion.

Dabo Swinney‘s Tigers didn’t go away without a fight, as wide receiver Adam Randall found the end zone with 3:26 remaining to tie the game at 21. King however used his veteran prowess and guided his team on an effortless drive down the field, setting kicker Aidan Birr up with a potential 55-yard game-winning field goal.

The fire drill went off without a hitch, as Birr drilled the kick to propel Georgia Tech to the upper echelon of the ACC with the 24-21 victory.

The preseason favorite in the ACC now faces questions heading into Week 4 against Syracuse. Since Swinney took over at Clemson, the Tigers are 10-1 against the Orange (lone loss came in 2017).