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The Clemson Tigers face an uphill battle to make a bowl game following Saturday’s brutal loss to Duke. More News: College Football Coach Linked to LSU Suffers Major Upset on Thursday Night Clemson’s offense played well on Saturday. Quarterback Cade Klubnik went 27-of-36 passing for 385 yards and two touchdowns. The running game was complementary, as the Tigers rushed for 175 yards and four touchdowns. However, the defense was spotty right out of the gate, giving up 21 points to the Blue Devils in the first quarter. CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 18: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers walks on the sidelines during their game against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Memorial Stadium on October 18, 2025 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images) More News: Colorado’s Deion Sanders Accuses Big 12 Teams of ‘Lying’ on Injury Report After giving up 28 first-half points, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney had a heated moment with members of the secondary. OMG, Dabo Swinney went nuclear on Clemson’s secondary after that last TD from Duke … 👀 🔥 pic.twitter.com/RGiskZfRRG— Brad Crawford (@BCrawford247) November 1, 2025 Duke and Clemson traded scores during the second half, and the Blue Devils came out on top 46-45 by converting a two-point conversion with 40 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. The embarrassing defeat knocked the Tigers to 3-5 in front of a home crowd of 75,809 at Memorial Stadium. The Tigers entered the season with a No. 4 ranking and hopes of returning to the College Football Playoff. But the season quickly went south with a 17-10 loss to LSU in Week 1. The LSU loss looks especially bad now that their program fired Brian Kelly on Sunday. Clemson fans on social media want Swinney on the heat seat after dropping to 3-5. “Dabo will be fired this tomorrow or on Monday,” wrote a fan. “Dabo is the problem. He’s been too busy hiring busy hiring family and friends, it’s showing now,” suggested a fan. “Worst coached team in the country,” posted another. “Everybody say good bye to Dabo,” suggested a fan. “I wish dabo would quit. I’m sick of him,” posted another. “FIRE DABO,” hopes a fan. Swinney is now 183-52 during his 18th season with Clemson. He’s won two national titles with the program. Before Saturday’s loss, Swinney was not on the hot seat. However, he’s faced criticism amid a disappointing season. In September, Swinney defended his record with the program and suggested he’d continue to coach if Clemson fired him. “If they want me gone, if they’re tired of winning, they can send me on my way because that’s all we’ve done is win,” Swinney said in September. “So if they’re tired of winning, we’ve won this league eight out of the last 10 years, is that not good? I’m just asking. Is that good? To go to the playoff seven out of 10 years, be in four national championships–win it twice? “If Clemson’s tired of winning, they can send me on my way, but I’m gonna go somewhere else and coach. I ain’t going to the beach.” Clemson will next host Florida State in Week 11. For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
