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Dabo Swinney did not hold back during his postgame remarks, offering an unfiltered look at Clemson’s emotions following the loss.
“This is one of the worst locker rooms I’ve ever been a part of,” he said. “I mean, I’ve been a part of some bad ones, but there’s a ton of tears, grown men crying, hurting. These guys care so much. We all put so much into it. This team should be so much better. And it’s hard when you feel like you’re giving everything you’ve got and you’re not getting the results…But you’ve got to lean on your faith. You either believe or you don’t…true peace comes when you have faith even when things aren’t going your way…This is a tough time. It’s our reality, but we’ll keep battling and pick ourselves up and go fight again.”
That faith was tested again Saturday night. Clemson led Duke 45–41 with under a minute to play when Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah faced fourth-and-10 from the Tigers’ 18. His pass toward the goal line fell incomplete until a late flag landed near the pylon. Officials ruled pass interference on cornerback Avieon Terrell, moving the ball to the 3-yard line. Duke scored moments later to steal a 46–45 win.
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“I don’t even know what to say about the last call,” Swinney said. “It shouldn’t come down to that. We had plenty of opportunities to win the game. But that’s one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen in my entire coaching career — ever — in a situation like that.”
Clemson totaled 560 yards of offense, led by Cade Klubnik’s 27-of-36 for 385 yards and two touchdowns, but repeated coverage busts and a kickoff-return score erased it all.
At 3–5, the Tigers are teetering toward their first losing season since 2010 — and a coach searching for calm in the storm still believes better days will come. “I’ll show up Monday,” Swinney said. “Unless Graham sends me packing, I’m showing up Monday. I’m gonna be here, and we will finish.”
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