CFB fans are appreciating Dabo Swinney despite a disappointing 34-3 loss against Georgia
Dabo Swinney's Clemson Tigers lost their second straight season opener with their 34-3 defeat to Georgia on Saturday. However, anyone would be hard-pressed to blame the Tigers, as the Bulldogs are the top-ranked team in the nation and the favorite to win the national title.
What did negatively surprise some observers was the lack of fight Clemson showed during the game, failing to score a single touchdown.
Nonetheless, some fans have taken to social media to appreciate Swinney's coaching skills when comparing it to the fates another ACC school has endured. That would be the Florida State Seminoles, whose quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has led to back-to-back upsets against Georgia Tech and Boston College.
An Instagram publication reminded the fanbase that in 2022, Coach Swinney managed to get a Uiagalelei-led Tigers to an 11-2 record and an ACC championship. They also pointed out that the team could've easily gone to the CFP, had one or two things gone differently.
Some fans agree with the assessment:
"Probably Dabo’s best coaching job"
"Ik ppl like to crap on dabo because he doesn’t like the portal and nil but he is a great coach"
Another fan pointed out that if Swinney gets a hang of the transfer portal, he'll be dangerous. Swinney's use, or lack thereof, of the transfer portal is one of the biggest criticisms leveled at the coach in recent years:
"Dabo gets the portal bug and we might all be cooked"
There was also a flurry of messages against Uiagalelei and what is perceived as his lack of ability to lead a top national program like Florida State:
Paul Finebaum airs strong criticism against Dabo Swinney
Someone who didn't have any encouraging words for the Clemson coach after Saturday's defeat was ESPN's longtime SEC analyst Paul Finebaum. On Monday's edition of "Get Up," Finebaum had this to say about Dabo Swinney and the Tigers:
"We have been writing them off for some time, but they've been hanging around. But they were up against the best kid on the block Saturday, and they got manhandled. And there is nowhere to go for Dabo Swinney. He can complain about the criticism, he can say he's doing the right thing, but clearly he has screwed up badly (by) refusing to go into the transfer portal."
"Nobody is trying to make Dabo out to be terrible, but what he is is stubborn, and I would go so far as to say stupid, because if you don't use the tools that you have at your disposal, you are dumb in today's world of college football. The problem is, we can't have a conversation with Dabo Swinney without talking about the past. We are living in the present and moving toward the future."
His co-host Joey Galloway agreed, going as far as to call Swinney "the problem" at Clemson. It's difficult to disagree, as the Tigers were manhandled in both offense and defense. Their defense allowed 447 passing yards and 278 rushing, while quarterback Cade Klubnik was only able to put together 142 passing yards. He also allowed one interception
In Week 2, the Tigers have a much easier job against Appalachian State at home.