Swinney says he knows Clemson fans are disappointed: 'I feel the burden'

It was tough night for the Tigers in South Bend.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sun Nov 06 14:32:03 GMT-04:00 2022

SOUTH BEND, IN – Late in Clemson’s loss to Notre Dame, following another Irish rush for a first down, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney threw his arms up in the air in frustration before lowering his head and looking at the artificial turf. It was that kind of night at Notre Dame.

The Irish scored on a blocked punt, a pick-six that was returned 96 yards for a touchdown, and turned another interception into a short-field touchdown on the way to the 35-14 victory that wasn’t as close as the score might indicate.

Nothing went right for the Tigers, from start to finish, a disappointing effort coming off an open date.

“At the end of the day, they were the more physical team, they were the more disciplined team, and we had stupid penalties. So, as a result, they were the better-coached team, period,” Swinney said. “There isn’t anything else I can say. 14 years as a head coach – I mean we’ve had bad days, I don’t want to overstate – but this is a very disappointing day, and it’s my responsibility. We gave up a score on offense, a score on special teams and a score on defense, and that’s the first time that’s happened since I’ve been a head coach. So, we just got outcoached in every facet of the game. But that’s on me. It’s my responsibility.”

Swinney said he thought the Tigers had put the time off to good use.

“I wish I could say I saw it coming,” Swinney said. “We had a great week of practice, a great week of preparation, but football is a crazy game. The ball can bounce funny from time to time. If you do this long enough and you play in this arena, unfortunately, there are some nights like this that you want to forget. I’m glad that these are few and far between. This is a really bad day, a really disappointing day. But we’ll have better days ahead, and it’s my job to make sure that happens. But tonight, wasn’t the night.”

Clemson said he knows Clemson Nation is disappointed.

“At the end of the day, we’re 8-1, not 5-3. We’re 8-1, not 4-4,” Swinney said. “And again, I feel the burden from the Clemson Nation because it’s my responsibility to win every game, and I didn’t get it done tonight. Simple as that. So, there’s nobody else to blame but me.”

The Tigers have clinched the ACC Atlantic Division title and will play in the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte on Dec. 3rd, have two ACC games remaining and the end-of-season rivalry game against South Carolina.

“We still have the opportunity to do a lot of things during the season,” Swinney said. “In my 14 years, we’ve only had one undefeated season. It’s hard. Nobody likes to lose. But again, you do it long enough, you’re going to have a day like this. So, all you can do is respond.

“We’ve only got 21 days left in the regular season, so we’ve got to make them all count. And for tonight, it wasn’t our day. You’ve got to give Notre Dame all the credit for tonight. Their coaches, their players, they were outstanding. Their fans, it was a great environment. But a really, really disappointing night for Clemson.”