Steve Spurrier reacts to Dabo Swinney being fined for criticizing ACC officials

The Clemson Tigers weren’t happy with the officiating in their loss to Duke. That frustration boiled over for head coach Dabo Swinney, who would criticize the officials publicly. That, in turn, led to a $10,000 fine and public reprimand from the league office.

A former rival of Dabo Swinney and Clemson, Steve Spurrier, noticed the punishment. As he explained on Another Dooley Noted Podcast, it seemed like frustration about the season had boiled over for Swinney, even if he was probably right about the blown call.

“Yeah, they have had a very difficult year,” Steve Spurrier said. “They’re 3-5 too. Just like us right now. And I think they were preseason top six in the country. Number four or five. Oh yeah, Dabo was really happy with his team, and wow, it’s gone bad. But yeah, that was an interference call. The receiver ran into his guy but his guy wasn’t looking back. For some reason, the DBs don’t look back anymore. They just run and cover the guy and if they hit him before the ball gets there, it’s interference.”

Clemson had come into the season as a popular pick to win the ACC and even compete for a national championship. That, obviously, hasn’t happened and the 46-45 home loss to Duke was Clemson’s fifth on the season. That includes four losses at home.

On the particular call Swinney was mad about, Duke was dealing with a fourth and long on the 18-yard line. Down by a touchdown with about a minute to play, it was go time for the Blue Devils. That’s when, on a pass over the middle, it looked as though wide receiver Que’Sean Brown threw down defensive back  Avieon Terrell. Then, the call went against Clemson.

After the game, Swinney was adamant that officials got the call wrong. He even called it one of the worst calls he’s ever seen.

“Really, really frustrated. Some critical penalties,” Swinney said. “I don’t even know what to say about the last call. Y’all saw it. It shouldn’t come down to that, we had plenty of opportunities to win the game, but that’s one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen in a game ever in my entire coaching career. Ever.”

Duke would, of course, go on to score and win the game. In a way, it added insult to injury for what has proven to be a very difficult season.

Now, Clemson is left trying to salvage its season. A bowl is still on the table, and, while that would still amount to a major disappointment compared to preseason expectations, it beats missing a bowl. That attempt to turn things around starts next week against Florida State.