Dabo Swinney describes the pain in Clemson locker room: 'One of the worst locker rooms I've ever been a part of'

On Saturday, Clemson fell to 3-5 on the season after suffering a nail-biting 46-45 loss to Duke. After the game, Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney opened up on the emotions surrounding the loss.

“Sometimes people think we don’t care. These guys care so much. That’s one of the worst locker rooms I’ve ever been a part of,” Swinney said. “I’ve been a part of some bad ones, but there’s a ton of tears. Grown men crying, hurting. We all put so much into it. This team, this season, should be so much better.

“It’s hard when you feel like you’re giving everything you’ve got and you’re not getting the results. But, picture-wise, again, it’s easy to have faith when everything is great. But, this is when you’ve got to really lean on your faith. You either believe or you don’t. … I have great faith in many great days ahead and all that, but this is a tough time. It’s our reality, but we’ll keep battling and pick ourselves up and go fight again.”

It was a 12-round slugfest between Clemson and Duke. The Blue Devils jumped out to an early 21-7 lead. However, Clemson fought back, rattling off 21 unanswered points and eventually heading into halftime tied, 28-28.

The two teams continued to grapple for control in the second half. Clemson appeared to have the upper hand late in the fourth quarter with a 45-38 lead.

Alas, Duke didn’t lie down and accept defeat. With 40 seconds remaining in the game, Duke capped off a stunning 94-yard drive with a touchdown. Instead of taking its extra point and tying the game, Duke risked it all and went for two.

The Blue Devils’ gamble paid off and they escaped with a one-point win. It is Duke’s first victory at Clemson since 1980. On the flip side, it’s the first time Clemson has lost four home games in a single season since 1998.

It’s been a disastrous season for Dabo Swinney and Co., who entered the season ranked No. 4 in the AP Top 25. Clemson won the ACC championship last season and came into this fall with hopes of taking home a national title.

Now, the Tigers are 2-4 in ACC play and on pace for Clemson’s worst season since 2010, when the program posted a 6-7 record. On Saturday, Clemson will look to bounce back as it squares off against Florida State at 7 p.m. ET. The game will air live on the ACC Network.