Dabo Swinney: Clemson 'Won't Lose Another Game' with Offense Like in Loss vs. Duke
Clemson scored a grand total of seven points during Monday's loss to Duke, and those seven points only happened because the Blue Devils muffed a punt to set the Tigers up with ideal field position.
But head coach Dabo Swinney apparently liked what he saw.
"If we do what we did offensively for the rest of the year, we won't lose another game," he told reporters. "It's just that simple."
Even if Clemson does clean up the mistakes that cost it against Duke, winning every game on the rest of the schedule is a daunting task.
After all, it still has to play a Florida State team that looked like a national title contender in a season-opening win against LSU. It also has to play nationally ranked foes in Notre Dame and North Carolina, as well as potentially tricky road games against NC State and Miami.
To Swinney's credit, there were some bright spots during the loss to the Blue Devils.
Running back Will Shipley accounted for 114 yards on the ground, and the offense didn't have to punt in the entire second half. Yet it also didn't score a single point in that second half because of the mistakes it continued to make.
The Tigers moved the ball inside of Duke's 10-yard line on their first three possessions after halftime only to come away with zero points because of two lost fumbles and a blocked field goal. The other three second-half possessions ended with a Cade Klubnik interception and two turnovers on downs.
It was an abysmal display of red-zone offense in particular, although a glass half-full approach would say Clemson at least moved the ball into scoring position multiple times.
But this is a program that isn't far removed from being an annual national title contender. Now Swinney is looking for silver linings from an embarrassing 28-7 loss to Duke that left the offense leaving much to be desired.
If the Tigers don't figure things out quickly, they are going to be staring at a season with far more losses than they are accustomed to during Swinney's tenure.
