Dabo Swinney on Clemson loss vs. Syracuse: ‘A lot of pain’

Clemson‘s disastrous start to the 2025 season continued on Saturday as it dropped to 1-3 following a disappointing 34-21 loss at home to Syracuse. The loss marked the first ever 1-3 start to a season for the Tigers under head coach Dabo Swinney.

The matchup was projected to be a bounce back game for Clemson, but that however could not have been farther from the truth. Syracuse immediately took a 10-0 lead thanks to a 12-yard passing touchdown from quarterback Steve Angeli and a 23-yard field goal from kicker Tripp Woody.

Clemson responded with a beautiful 38-yard passing touchdown from Cade Klubnik to receiver Bryant Wesco near the end of the first quarter, but the Orange immediately poured on 14 more points to jump ahead 24-14 prior to a lengthy weather delay.

Coming out of the delay, Syracuse did not let up the scoring. Following another Woody field goal, backup quarterback Rickie Collins found Justus Ross-Simmons for the 18-yard score to make it 34-14. Clemson cut it to a 13-point game with nine minutes remaining in the game, but its next two possessions ended in a Klubnik interception and a failed fourth-down attempt.

Swinney was in ‘a lot of pain’ following loss to Syracuse

Following the loss, an emotional Swinney revealed that he felt ‘a lot of pain’ in the locker room after the game.

“Obviously it was a very disappointing outcome and start to our season,” Swinney said. “No other way to say it. There’s no other way to say it. A lot of pain. I’ve been in a lot of painful locker rooms and that was up there near the top. Man, my heart just hearts for my team and our fans. Thought our fans showed up today and did a great job. We just couldn’t get it done.”

“It’s incredibly frustrating that we just can’t seem to get on the same page and play complimentary football. We can’t seem to get it all together. We kind of work against each other. The defense in the first half was probably as poor as I’ve seen. It was really poor. Very disappointing that you give up 24 points and dig yourself into a big hole. Offense had a really good rhythm and was rolling but we couldn’t get the ball. Very limited possessions.”

Now sitting at 1-3, Clemson looks ahead at a schedule featuring North Carolina, Boston College, SMU and Duke before its clash against No. 8 Florida State on Nov. 8.