Dabo Swinney reveals takeaway from first matchup vs. Bill Belichick: ‘They’ll get it going’

Two legendary head coaches took the field in Chapel Hill on Saturday. There, two-time national champion Dabo Swinney led his Clemson Tigers over legendary NFL head coach Bill Belichick, now coaching the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Clemson ended up blowing out North Carolina 38-10. It was another loss in a string of difficult games to start Belichick’s tenure. Swinney knows it’s been a slow start for him, but as the two have developed a relationship, he’s also gained confidence in the six-time Super Bowl champion’s ability to turn things around.

“Again, because I’ve been around him a good bit since May,” Dabo Swinney said. “And I’ve been on several calls, things like that, had the chance to spend some quality time in May, and also again in July. I got a chance to visit with him before the game with our commissioner. I asked him, I said, ‘Have you ever had a team, a really good team, that you just was having a hard time getting them going?’ And he had an answer for me right away. — I won’t tell you his answer. I’ll leave that to him. He went, ‘Oh, yeah,’ and gave me his answer.”

Bill Belichick made his name as a defensive coach in the NFL, winning two Super Bowls as a defensive coordinator. He would parlay that into his two NFL head coaching opportunities, first with Cleveland and later in New England. There, despite a tense end to his tenure, Belichick would win six Super Bowls in a nearly two decade long dynasty run. So, for Swinney, there’s no reason not to expect him to turn things around at North Carolina.

“What a unique opportunity to compete against — I mean how many wins does he need to be the all-time winningest NFL coach? Maybe like four, 10? Can’t be many [Belichick is third all time, with 302 wins. Don Shula is first at 328]. To be the winningest coach in the history of the NFL. Listen, they’ll get it going. I mean, he’s a great coach. They are where they are right now, and they’re trying to build it and get it going, and he’ll get them going,” Swinney said. “But I’ve got a lot of respect for him. It’s an honor to be able to compete against him today.”

As for Clemson and Swinney, it was a milestone game for him too. He’s now coached 300 games there, both as an assistant and as a head coach. In a year where he’s needed a spark for his team, getting a win here to get the Tigers back on track was also a big deal.

“For me, personally, to get my 300th game at Clemson,” Swinney said. “I’m grateful for that. I’m grateful. I really am. It’s not something I ever in my craziest dreams would have imagined when I walked off the field getting my butt beat against Georgia in ’03. My first ever Clemson game. I had no idea what God’s plan was. So, to have the opportunity to be a part of 300 Clemson games, I’m grateful for all of them. The good ones. The bad ones. I sure am glad this one was a win because I’ll actually want to remember it. So, thankful for that.”

Now, Dabo Swinney and the Tigers are turning their attention to a road trip to Boston College. Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels, meanwhile, travel to Cal, looking to snap a two-game losing streak.