What Dabo Swinney said after Clemson football’s 2024 CFP loss at Texas
Clemson’s 2024 football season is over.
The Tigers (10-4) fell to Texas 38-24 on Saturday in the first round of the College Football Playoff and have been eliminated from the postseason.
Here are the highlights of Clemson coach Dabo Swinney from his postgame press conference after the road loss:
▪ “We put ourselves in too big of a hole, allowing 28 points in the first half,” Swinney said, “but these kids battled. We were in position to win the game.”
▪ Said Swinney: “It’s sad when it ends, regardless of how it ends ... especially when you really, truly love the people you’re with. I truly love these guys. There was truly not one day I didn’t want to come to work with these guys ... It’s a special group.
▪ Swinney said his “heart hurts” for the senior class that got the Tigers back to the CFP. “Until they were taking that final knee, I didn’t think there was a moment we weren’t winning the game. ... “We’ll build on this. It’s a great experience for our guys. They know they’re good enough. And most of our guys are back” in 2025.
▪ On if he’ll consider staff changes to help get the defense fixed for 2025, Swinney said: “I’m not worried about that right now. We had a great season.” Said the team needs to improve in all areas, not just defense, to get back to the “top.”
▪ What went wrong on defense, allowing 28 points in the first half? “Leveraging blocks, missed (run game) fits, missed tackles ... They’re really good and they can make you pay for these things. That’s really it.” Said it wasn’t major busts and players were just missing on fundamental stuff
▪ Swinney: “We had every opportunity to win it — literally.” Said the two critical plays were allowing the long rushing touchdown after cutting it to a one-score game, and then coming up short on fourth-and-1 while down 14 points in the final quarter.
▪ Swinney says starting RB Phil Mafah “couldn’t go” in the second half because of his shoulder injury that will require postseason surgery. The coaching staff decided after the ACC title game to mix in WR Adam Randall at running back and he “looked great” behind Mafah. Randall is a “natural,” Swinney said, and they might transition him to RB starting in 2025.
▪ On the postgame locker room scene after the Texas loss tonight, Swinney said: “I wish everybody could experience what I just experienced in there, in terms of our guys’ leadership.” Swinney said junior QB Cade Klubnik was one of the guys who spoke up in the locker room after the loss. “He said it’s the most fun he’s ever had playing football ... he’s a great young man and has grown into an amazing leader.”
▪ “It’s not a sin to get knocked down. It’s a sin to stay down.” Said it was “awesome” to see the Tigers refuse to back down after going down 21 points vs. Texas and get the game to within a single possession in the fourth quarter.
▪ Swinney raved about program’s long-term potential: “I promise you, the example (the seniors) set for these guys coming back, it will not be wasted. I’ve already seen that in the locker room.”
This story was originally published December 21, 2024 at 8:20 PM.
