Dabo Swinney: Clemson's Loss to Duke Was 'Weirdest Game I've Ever Been a Part Of'

If Clemson hoped to compete for a national title this season, Monday's 28-7 loss to Duke was a rude awakening for the reigning ACC champions.

Speaking to reporters after the surprise defeat, Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney called it "the weirdest game I've ever been a part of."

"I've been beat," he added. "I've had my butt kicked. But that's the strangest game I've ever been a part of."

One reason the game can accurately be described as weird is Clemson lost without scoring or punting on six offensive possessions in the second half.

The Tigers' second-half possessions ended in three turnovers, two turnovers on downs and one missed field goal.

Two of the turnovers were on fumbles that occurred inside Duke's 10-yard line, including running back Phil Mafah getting the ball knocked out of his hand on a 1st-and-goal at the one-yard line.

Duke certainly didn't play a clean game either with two turnovers in the second quarter. It committed seven penalties that cost the team 45 yards. Riley Leonard only completed 17 of his 33 attempts for 175 yards, but he made up for it with 98 yards on the ground and a 44-yard touchdown run.

Clemson had more than 200 yards passing and rushing in the loss. Prior to Monday night, the team was 108-0 all-time when it reached both benchmarks in a single game.

In his second career start, Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik didn't inspire a lot of confidence. The sophomore finished 27-of-43 for 209 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Clemson was ranked No. 9 in the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll. Duke hadn't beaten a top-10 team for the first time since 1989 in Steve Spurrier's final season with the team.

Blue Devils head coach Mike Elko is doing a terrific job with the program. They went 9-4 last season in his first year. It was their most victories in a season since 2014.