Clemson football did not play its best game against Georgia Tech, and it cost them a win, as they lost 24-21. There were a lot of factors that went into the loss, but one that stuck out to head coach Dabo Swinney was the play of defensive back Ashton Hampton.
“I mean Ashton’s giving up PIs and giving up bad big play with bad eyes,” Swinney said via Thomas Goldkamp of On3. “I mean we’re playing man coverage and he’s looking in the backfield. So just precision in what we do, detail, eye discipline. I mean it just, we’ve got to be better, and technique and fundamentals.”
As a result, Swinney benched Hampton for Branden Strozier, someone who had been impressive to him in camp.
“You’ve got to put the next guy in there,” Swinney said. “Strozier deserves to play. I think Strozier, honestly, has had a good camp. He’s a kid that I think the arrow’s up by his name. He’s progressing for us.”
Nonetheless, Swinney still believes in Hampton and trust that he will bounce back. He gave up a big play, and there's no doubt that he will learn from that momemnt and be better moving forward.
“But Ashton is a special talent. He’s a special player, but we’ve got to get him playing that way,” Swinney said. “And he will. He’ll respond. But just really poor on that one big play on the slant and go. That was a critical play in the game, and it wasn’t, it just, he just, looking in the backfield. And it’s just eye discipline on doing your job.
“Then the one screen that they hit out there he just out of control, flying and diving at the ground as opposed to collisioning and creating, making the receiver have to stop his feet. This is basic football. We’ve got to clean some of that stuff up.”
It will be interesting to see who Swinney starts in their next matchup against Syracuse.
