CLEMSON, S.C. (FOX Carolina) – For three weeks, Dabo Swinney had leaned on the idea that Clemson was only “a play away.” That explanation no longer held up Saturday.
The Tigers dropped to 1-3 with a 34-21 loss to Syracuse; their worst start since 2004. Unlike narrow defeats to LSU and Georgia Tech earlier this season, Clemson was out of step from the opening series, particularly on defense.
The Orange rolled to more than 300 yards of offense before halftime, pushing around the Tigers’ defensive front, finding gaps against the linebackers and exposing the secondary. A defense built on blue-chip recruits and proven returners looked far from the group that held its own against LSU in the opener.
“It’s incredibly frustrating we just can’t seem to get on the same page and play complementary football. We can’t seem to get it all together,” Swinney said.
Clemson sophomore linebacker Sammy Brown said the group remains committed despite the tough stretch.
“I love these guys. I love each and every guy on this team with all of my heart, and I know we’re going to come and work,” Brown said. “We’ve worked each and every day toward our ultimate goal. Even though we didn’t get the outcome, we’re going to come to work on Monday.”
Quarterback Cade Klubnik echoed that theme, calling himself “unbreakable.”
“I’m going to continue to fight for Clemson because they’ve done so much for me,” he said.
For Swinney, the immediate challenge is keeping his roster aligned and motivated. He admitted the locker room after Saturday’s game was among the most difficult he’s experienced in his more than two decades at Clemson.
“When I don’t get the job done, I’m responsible. And I feel the pain. It’s not just my pain. It’s everybody’s pain,” Swinney said. “I hurt. I’m human. I’m not a cyborg. This is my life, man. I’ve been here 23 years. I love this place. I give this place the very best I got every single day. Every day. There’s never been a day I haven’t given Clemson every ounce of everything I have. So I hurt. I’ve invested my life here. When I don’t get the job done, I’m responsible. And I feel the pain. It’s not just my pain. It’s everybody’s pain.”
The Tigers now head into a bye week before facing North Carolina. With College Football Playoff hopes gone and only pride and bowl positioning left to fight for, Swinney acknowledged the need for a reset.
“There’s no quit in me, and I didn’t see any quit in our team or our staff,” he said. “We’ll get back to work. We have to reset our goals and what we still can do. We can’t sit around and dwell on missed opportunities.
Senior running back Adam Randall framed the challenge simply.
“It’s not exciting to be 1-3, but that’s where we are right now,” he said. “We’ve got eight games left, and all we can do is attack the bye week and try to get a good result against UNC.”
For a program that entered the season ranked fourth in the country with championship expectations, the next two weeks may matter more for culture than the standings.
Clemson’s roster is still loaded with talent, and players are publicly backing each other. What comes next will show whether that belief can translate into results on the field.
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