Dabo Swinney Says 'Neither' LSU or Clemson 'Were Great' in Week 1 CFB Matchup

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney had a unique analogy to describe the way both teams played on Saturday when his team lost 17-10 to LSU.

Swinney told reporters on Tuesday that "neither of us were great," but his team failed a "final exam" on the first day of class and LSU barely passed.

Of course, depending on your grading scale, a 65 could also be an F.

LSU head coach Brian Kelly responded by noting his team "dominated" the second half, then took a swipe at Swinney for being a "really good grader" for himself or a "hard grader" for LSU.

No matter how you slice the grades, all that matters is that LSU finished with a better one than Clemson. The reigning ACC champs got nothing going on offense with just 261 total yards, including 31 on the ground on 20 carries (1.6 yards per attempt).

The 31 rushing yards were Clemson's fewest in a game since 2007 against Virginia Tech.

LSU had more success moving the ball with 354 total yards, but two first-half turnovers and a missed field goal in the third quarter limited the offense to just 17 total points.

Clemson had six possessions in the second half that resulted in two turnovers on downs, a missed field goal, two punts and an interception.

This is the second consecutive true road game that LSU has scored fewer than 20 points. Kelly's team lost 27-16 to Florida on Nov. 16, 2024.

The matchup between LSU and Clemson was one of the marquee games of Week 1. Both teams were ranked in the preseason top 10 and have playoff aspirations.

LSU got a win on the road and moved all the way up to No. 3 in the Associated Press Top 25. Clemson dropped four spots to No. 8.