Dabo Swinney surprised the ACC gave Clemson next week off
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney was expecting the Tigers to have a game on Dec. 12 after last month’s matchup with Florida State was postponed.
When he walked off the practice field Tuesday night, he was surprised to learn that Saturday’s game at Virginia Tech will be Clemson’s final of the regular season.
“I really thought we would be playing next week,” Swinney said Wednesday. “I was as surprised as anyone last night when we came off the practice field that they made the change. But hey, we’re going into game 10. Wish we’d have had 11, but thankful that we’ve got an opportunity to play 10 and proud of our guys with how they’ve competed all year.”
Clemson can clinch a spot in the ACC championship game with a win over Virginia Tech this weekend, or if Miami loses at Duke on Saturday.
The Tigers are favored by 22.5 points in the matchup against the Hokies.
If Clemson earns a spot in the ACC title game, it will face Notre Dame in a rematch of a game that was played in South Bend on Nov. 7. Trevor Lawrence missed that game, one that the Irish won 47-40 in double overtime.
“You work all year to get to a point like this ... where you have a chance to punch a ticket to Charlotte,” Swinney said. “But you’ve gotta go do it. We’re four tough quarters away from that, but excited about the challenge.”
Swinney said he had no say in the ACC’s decision to give Clemson next weekend off. His only hope was that if Clemson did play, it would make up its game with Florida State, rather than facing a new opponent.
Instead, Clemson and Notre Dame both will be off next weekend. The Irish were scheduled to host Wake Forest in a make-up game, but it was canceled as well. The ACC originally set aside Dec. 12 for make-up games.
“I just assumed that we would play next week because we had a game get canceled,” Swinney said. “I was hoping we’d play, but we’re not playing the game. The ACC, I wasn’t a part of any of those decisions, but that’s the decision they made. We just focus on what we can control and keep playing.”
Swinney said he is pleased Clemson has played as many games as it has this year. The Tigers have only had one game canceled.
“We had 11 scheduled. I wish we could’ve gotten 11. Lord willing, we’re going to get 10. I’d say that’s a huge accomplishment,” Swinney said. “Coming into this year there were a lot of people that didn’t think we’d play all summer or August or whatever. Here we are going into game 10. Our guys have done a really, really awesome job all year.”
Next Clemson football game
Who: No. 3 Clemson at Virginia Tech
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia
TV: ABC
This story was originally published December 2, 2020 at 7:30 PM.
