"These refs are so soft" "stop crying Dabo": CFB fans debate over Dabo Swinney's animated exchange with officials over controversial call

The Clemson Tigers under coach Dabo Swinney fell to a 1-2 record after losing to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Week 3 of college football action. After a lot of preseason hype, the Tigers have struggled to show off their offensive prowess, led by quarterback Cade Klubnik who has also struggled in several games.

The first half of the Tigers' Week 4 clash against the Syracuse Orange at Memorial Stadium did not go to plan as Swinney's team trailed 24-14 at halftime. The game has been delayed due to inclement weather, but not before several controversial moments including a Clemson player who hit Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli after he passed the ball.

Swinney showed his frustration on the sidelines at the roughing the passer call by the officials.

College football fans on Instagram had mixed reactions to Dabo Swinney's reaction to the call.

"Absolutely, stop crying Dabo," one fan wrote. "Sometimes there are some bs roughing calls, but this one seems pretty clear lol," another fan wrote. "These refs are so soft," one fan wrote.

Some fans thought that the refs made the right call.

"Easy call," one fan wrote. "Absolutely roughing the passer and targeting," another fan wrote. "Should that be roughing? Probably not imo. Is that consistent with what is usually called roughing? Yes, yes it is," another fan wrote.

Fan's comments on IG

Fan's comments on IG

Dave Portnoy defends Dabo Swinney

With the Clemson Tigers' shaky start to the season, Dabo Swinney has been mentioned as one of the coaches on the college football hot seat. On Saturday, during an appearance on the "Big Noon Kickoff" show, media personality David Portnoy came to Swinney's defense while claiming that he made Clemson relevant.

"You can't get rid of him. What is Clemson without Dabo Swinney? What were they before him? Nothing," Portnoy said. "Sometimes fans don't realize how good they have it, Clemson is in the national conversation. Now, I don't think they're that good this year, but, every year people are talking about them. "That's because of the program he built. If you lose him, you're done. We won't be talking about you on Big Noon Kickoff. We won't be talking about you anywhere."

During his 18-year tenure as coach of the Clemson Tigers, Dabo Swinney has led them to two national championships and a 181-49 record, which includes only one losing season. After years of struggling, the Tigers reclaimed their ACC crown and a spot in the first 12-team college football playoffs, accounting for the preseason hype by both fans and analysts.

Edited by Cabral Opiyo