The Clemson Tigers fall to 1-3 on the season after suffering a tough 34-21 Week 4 loss to the Syracuse Orange. It's the first time the Tigers have begun a season 1-3 in the Dabo Swinney era, and the program's postseason hopes are dwindling fast. After Saturday's loss, Swinney shared a statement, vowing that he has to improve as a coach for the players.
Swinney, who is 55 years old, claimed that it is his responsibility to be better for Clemson, according to Jon Blau of The Post Courier. The former two-time winning champion head coach also said that the players on the team are going to lean on each other to overcome the struggles.
“It's my responsibility to be better,” said Dabo Swinney. “I just hurt for the guys, but I am thankful, and I hope y'all notice, those kids fought to the last play. They love Clemson, and they love each other, and that's what will get us through this.”
Clemson put up a ton of yards against Syracuse, but just couldn't translate those into points. The Tigers finished the game with 503 total yards of offense, with quarterback Cade Klubnik recording 363 passing yards, three touchdowns, and an interception while completing 37 of his 60 pass attempts.
Even running back Adam Randall had a solid performance, recording 160 yards on the day. However, Clemson struggled on third down opportunities after only converting three of their 13 third down attempts. Additionally, penalties were an issue as well, as the Tigers were called for eight flags., Turnovers were also a problem, as the team threw an interception and lost a fumble to Syracuse.
It's been an incredibly tough start to the season, as Dabo Swinney and his Clemson Tigers are already 0-2 in conference play. That puts them in last place in the ACC right now, which puts the program at the bottom of a tall mountain to climb. They'll have a chance to get back in the win column in Week 6 when they take on the North Carolina Tar Heels. The Tigers will enjoy a much-needed bye in Week 5.
