Dabo Swinney provides update on Clemson injuries from Week 2
Clemson got in the win column for the first time in 2023, defeating FCS Charleston Southern, 66-17. But the Tigers did it without a few notable players.
After the win, head coach Dabo Swinney shared a brief update on defensive back Andrew Mukuba and wideout Cole Turner. Both players shouldn’t be out long term from the sound of things.
“Both of them just got lower-body injuries but nothing — they’re going to be day-to-day,” Swinney said after the game.
Mukuba had six tackles, a pass breakup and a quarterback pressure on Monday against Duke. Turner started and caught two passes for 21 yards against the Blue Devils.
Mukuba started 11 games last season, finishing with 50 tackles, four pass breakups and an interception.
Turner came on strong late last year, including finishing with more than 100 yards in the ACC Championship game.
Swinney was bullish on his Clemson team still despite the Week 1 loss
Clemson took a significant hit to their season to end the week one slate as they dropped their opener at Duke in a stagnant fashion. Still, while the debut of the Tiger’s offense was a complete misfire, they, oddly enough, actually encouraged Dabo Swinney heading into the rest of the year.
Swinney addressed Clemson’s mistakes against the Blue Devils in his press conference on Wednesday. In his eyes, he felt like he saw the Tigers do everything right on offense, besides scoring and turning the ball over, from the tape.
“I mean, as I said the other night, it was a strange game but (I’m) incredibly encouraged. The things you need to see to win football games? Physicality, toughness, the ability to run the ball, throw the ball? We did all the things that we need to do from that standpoint,” Swinney said. “There’s no gimmes in football. You’ve got to stand up there and knock the six-inch putt in.”
“Just some self-inflicted wounds, just that simple. Those are painful lessons,” continued Swinney. “I’m proud of what we saw on tape. We’ve won a lot of games around here where, when I watched the tape, I wasn’t real happy. Everything that I wanted to see as far as how we played? And what leads to winning? I saw that. The guys were in position to win.”
Again, it’s hard to see anyone being too “happy” with just seven points to open your campaign as well as conference play. That’s especially so considering Clemson’s offense was a disaster for most of the game. In the first half, they just couldn’t get much of anything going. In the second half, though, the Tigers kept giving the ball away and missed opportunities with five turnovers and a second missed field goal.