Dabo Swinney defends Clemson offense after upset loss to Duke in opener: ‘I’ll sign up for that right now’

While many were left questioning the Clemson offense after its single-touchdown output in a 28-7 loss to No. 21 Duke, Dabo Swinney isn’t one of them. During his weekly press conference, the two-time national champion coach defended his team’s performance on that side of the ball. He also made a bold prediction for the rest of the season. 

“If we do what we did offensively (against Duke) for the rest of the year, we won’t lose another game,” Swinney said on Tuesday at his weekly press conference. “Simple as that. I’ll sign up for that right now.”

To Swinney’s point, No. 25 Clemson had success moving the ball in the opener against the Blue Devils. The Tigers reached Duke territory in eight of their 13 offensive possessions. Clemson moved the ball inside the Blue Devil’s 10-yard line on its first three possessions of the second half, but failed to score each time after two lost fumbles and a turnover on downs. 

“If you really watched the game, you know what happened in the game,” Swinney said on Monday night after the loss. “We just self-imploded in some critical situations and, again, you’ve got to finish. It was routine stuff. The basics. The fundamentals. Ball handling. Just some basic, basic stuff.”

Quarterback Cade Klubnik finished with 209 yards passing, fewer than five yards per attempt and an interception. Clemson managed 442 yards of total offense. The Tigers’ only touchdown came after a Duke muffed punt set them up deep in Blue Devils territory. 

Clemson hopes to get back on track the next two weeks against Charleston Southern and Florida Atlantic before a season-defining game against No. 4 Florida State on Sept. 23. The Seminoles are coming off an impressive 45-24 over No. 14 LSU.