"Bout to blame this loss on 19 year olds": CFB world mocks Dabo Swinney after Duke dismantles Clemson in stunning 28-7 upset
Duke Blue Devils stunned the nation on Monday night, September 4, convincingly beating the No. 9 Clemson Tigers 28-7.
Dabo Swinney's players looked lost at times during the encounter, committing several mistakes that cost them the game.
The Duke Blue Devils were rewarded for their efforts in the AP Poll on Tuesday, going from being unranked to No. 21 in the nation. The victory was a historic one for the Durham school, being their first against a Top 10 team since the 1989 season and the first one ever over a Top 25 school since their season opener.
Scenes of total delight came out of Durham, well, delight from everyone but Dabo Swinney. In his postgame news conference, he was at a loss for words to explain what had just happened.
"In all my years of football, I've never been part of a game like that," Swinney said.
Today we are taking a look at the fans' reactions to the stunning Clemson defeat. Some fans were critical of Clemson's coach's remarks in the post-match press conference.
On "Undisputed" on Fox, sports columnist Skip Bayless made an argument that Clemson had been lagging behind in the recruitment efforts due to Dabo Swinney's aversion to the transfer portal and his lack of support for student-athlete remuneration through NIL deals.
The fan reaction is also a jab at Swinney for not supporting student-athletes' calls for remuneration, which in turn makes Death Valley a less desirable destination for future players.
Others thought that Clemsons' mistakes were due to poor play calling from Swinney and his coaching staff:
Others made fun of Dabo's "Old school" approach to coaching.
Some joked about how unappealing Death Valley has become.
Others decided to point out how inappropriate Duke's uniform really is.
Fans also poked fun at Clemson and the Pac-12's demise simultaneously.
Clemson Tigers' Future
No team has lost its season opener and gone on to make the playoffs. Clemson's hopes cling to the possibility of the Tigers beating No. 4 Florida State in three weeks' time.
The Tigers face Charleston Southern on Saturday, September 9, at 2:15 PM ET.