The Clemson Tigers got a harsh welcome to the 2024-25 college football season, suffering a 34-3 defeat at the hands of the No. 1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs. And as you may expect, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney received a large portion of the blame.
Simply put, there were very few areas where Clemson actually looked good in the game. Georgia’s offense had very few issues moving the ball at will on Clemson, particularly thanks to an impressive performance from star quarterback Carson Beck, throwing for 278 yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik largely looked lost against the always stout Georgia defense, throwing for just 142 yards with one interception in the defeat.
Georgia is ranked No. 1 overall for a reason. They will likely make many other teams look silly throughout the season. But considering Clemson’s reputation as a powerhouse in college football, it was a pretty bad look.
One major criticism around the game actually didn’t have to do with any of the players on the field, instead shifting their focus to Dabo Swinney’s continued decision not to use the transfer portal to bring in big-name talent.
Dabo Swinney after getting blown out by Georgia but doing it his way
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) August 31, 2024
If you’re a man and I ever text you a picture of Dabo Swinney, it means I’m not changing my ways for you
— Polly Marino (@PollyMarino) August 31, 2024
Dabo Swinney ‘s refusal to use the transfer portal, negative stance toward NIL is on full display today.
The talent Georgia has compared to Clemson is night and day.
Swinney is a VCR stuck in a Blue Ray world.
— Keith Jouganatos (@KeithJouganatos) August 31, 2024
Clemson used to be Georgia not that long ago. Through stubbornness and inability to adapt, Dabo Swinney has done this to his program. You could see today coming three years ago and he never did anything to change the course.
— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) August 31, 2024
It will be interesting to see how Clemson bounces back from this blowout loss. But at least for the time being, it seems like there is a world between Clemson and the elite teams in college football.
