It isn’t getting any better for Clemson.
Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney amid a defensive meltdown by his struggling team during a 46-45 loss to Duke.
With less than 20 seconds left in the first half, Clemson allowed Duke quarterback Darian Mensah to connect with wide receiver Que’Sean Brown on a 42-yard touchdown pass, tying the game 28-28.
Swinney was far from happy.
“They got 28 damn points on you!” Swinney said at one point during the tirade.
The Tigers, now 3-5 and 2-4 in ACC play, have been one of the most disappointing teams in college football this season.
The Tigers have suffered tough losses to conference opponents like SMU and Syracuse, while their wins have come against lowly competition like North Carolina, Troy and Boston College.
Clemson had national championship aspirations coming into the season.
They were ranked No. 3 in the preseason AP poll.
Swinney, one of the longest-tenured coaches in college football, might be feeling the pressure with his Tigers trudging through their worst season in recent history.
Clemson hasn’t had a losing season under Swinney, a two-time national championship winner, since 2010, his third season at the helm.
Swinney previously showed signs of frustration earlier this year when it appeared his team was set for a disappointing season.
“What’s so bad about our program? What’s so bad about it?” Swinney said in mid September. “Like, what’s so bad about the worst season — 14 years, how many programs in college football would sign up for, and only once in 14 years, nine wins. Why are we held to a different standard to all these other teams out there who ain’t ever won nothing? We’re not perfect. And we may suck this year. We may lay a freaking egg and go 6-6, but I don’t think so.”
Later adding, “If they want me gone, if they’re tired of winning, they can send me on their way. Because that’s all we’ve done is winning.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
