You can call it lazy reporting, you can call it recycled narratives, you can even call it click bait, but what you can't call it is false.
There is no denying that Dabo Swinney built unprecedented standards in Clemson, South Carolina. However, six years now removed from a national championship, Clemson finds itself in the midst of a era that has not produced the same level of success that Clemson fans were accustomed to. On the second day of November, the 11th ranked Tigers racked up 450 yards of total offense yet fell to unranked Louisville 33-21.
Dabo Swinney and Clemson suffered their first loss in program history to the Cardinals on Saturday evening and now can only dream to somehow have a chance at the expanded twelve team college football playoff needing major help from other programs. The Cardinals also ended Clemson's streak of winning twenty two straight night games in Death Valley. Now, the Tigers will need SMU or Miami to drop a game in order to have a path back to Charlotte for the ACC Championship.
To make matters even worse, the Tigers had an extra week to prepare for Jeff Brohm's unranked squad yet looked life-less and uninspired at times on Saturday evening. On the offensive side of the ball, Cade Klubnik finished the night with a QBR of 45.2 and passed for 228 yards and one touchdown. The first two drives for Clemson ended in three-and-outs. Running back Phil Mafah rushed 30 times for 171 yards and two touchdowns and caught five passes for 28 yards. In addition to the 400+ yards complied by the Tigers, Clemson did not have a turnover in the game for the 47th time under Dabo Swinney. Clemson is now 42-5 (.894) in games in Swinney’s tenure in which it did not record a turnover. While the offense set career highs in several position groups, Swinney's squad could not finish when it's backs were against the wall.
So where do I find issue with what I watched on Saturday evening? I will take you through my frustrations one step at a time.
I will start with the narratives. By no means do I intend to group everyone into one category, however, there has to be an end to the week to week lies that we are sold about improvement when it comes to Clemson. The Tigers started the season getting suffocated by Kirby Smart & Georgia and only put up three points. Since then, the Clemson offense accounted for 291 total points and six straight wins. However, if you look at the opponents that the Tigers defeated in that six week stretch, you will be hard pressed to find a win over a quality opponent. In fact, only one of those six opponents currently have a winning record. Since Clemson's last national title appearance, the Tigers have lost fourteen games out of the last sixty. Before that same national title appearance, Clemson had only lost four of it's previous sixty games. Dabo is still winning a tremendous amount of games, however, they are not meeting the same standards that he set not too long ago.
Another frustration I have is the lack of depth on the last few rosters Dabo Swinney has put together. Dabo has made no bones about trusting the guys he has recruited over the previous 4-5 seasons despite not having the same caliber of weapons he had on those championship teams. Clemson added zero transfers in the 2024 cycle and Swinney was only one of four coaches in FBS not to do so. Clemson without a doubt has playmakers on both sides of the ball, but I have not been impressed with the overall production of guys behind the stars.
Lastly, I do not see the same Clemson grit on the defensive side of the football. The glue that held this Clemson program together may very well have been Brent Venables. Did Dabo Swinney recruit unbelievably well during that era? Without a doubt. However, this defense is not the same. I saw more poor tackling last night than I have in a very long time. The front four under Brent Venables used to wreck havoc. The front four last night accounted for zero sacks. There seems to be a lack of physicality from the Clemson secondary as well. In my opinion, Clemson's defenses no longer strike fear in the eyes of their opponents.
In summary, I will admit Clemson is still winning a lot of football games. Clemson also still recruits at a high level. However, in my opinion, Clemson is a good football team. They are not an elite football team. There is a wide margin between good and elite and in order for Clemson to get back into the elite conversation, Dabo Swinney will have to shake things up in a major way. Clemson has some of the most passionate fans in the country, but it is time for those same fans to expect and demand more. Your program has slipped and you are content.
Right now, best is not the standard at Clemson.