Five ‘firework finishes’ for Clemson football in the Dabo Swinney era
The Clemson football program has seen its fair share of games that finished with a major bang, and more times than not, it’s been the Tigers who have been out on top.
In the spirit of the Fourth of July holiday this weekend, we decided to take a look back at some of the most prominent games that ended with a big bang- or a ‘firework finish.’
Here are the five best firework finishes for Clemson football in the Dabo Swinney era.
5. Louisville (2016 season)
It’s the instant classic.
While most simply remember this game as the epic shootout between the Deshaun Watson-led Clemson Tigers and the Lamar Jackson-led Louisville Cardinals, many forget the ending.
Yes, both Watson and Jackson were magnificent. They both had big-time nights that proved that they were going to be stars at the next level.
But the ending of this game was absolutely something to beholden.
Though Louisville took an early 7-0 lead, Clemson came roaring back and took a 28-10 lead into halftime. Despite that halftime advantage, Louisville scored 16-straight points in the third quarter to cut the lead to 28-26 heading into the fourth quarter.
That’s when the fireworks broke out.
Louisville hit a field goal with 10:23 left in the game to take a 29-28 lead and then Lamar Jackson ran in a touchdown for the Cardinals to take a 36-28 lead with just 7:57 remaining. But the Tigers answered.
Artavis Scott returned the kickoff 77 yards to the Louisville 23-yard line and the Tigers punched it in two plays later to make the score 36-34. A defensive stop would set Deshaun Watson up with the ball with six minutes remaining and he answered the call by leading an 8-play, 85-yard drive to give Clemson a 42-36 lead.
But Lamar Jackson wasn’t done. Jackson drove down the field and Louisville faced a 4th-and-12 from the Tiger 14-yard line with less than 35 seconds remaining. Jackson completed the pass to James Quick, but it only went for 11 yards as he stepped out of bounds before getting to the line to gain. Clemson fans breathed a sigh of relief as the Tigers held on for a thrilling victory.
4. Ohio State (2019 Playstation Fiesta Bowl)
Clemson seemed down-and-out for the majority of the first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes in this previous season’s showdown in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl.
The Tigers trailed 16-0 and were in danger of letting things get completely out of hand before they finally settled in. They were very fortunate to enter halftime trailing just 16-14.
The second half was an absolute battle.
Clemson put up a touchdown on a 54-yard pass from Trevor Lawrence to Travis Etienne with 7:54 remaining in the third quarter to take its first lead of the game, at 21-16. But Ohio State wouldn’t stop.
The Buckeyes answered with a touchdown of their own with 11:46 remaining in the game and it seemed like momentum was squarely in OSU’s favor.
Clemson got the ball back with one final chance, pinned inside its 10-yard line with less than three minutes to go. Trevor Lawrence led the Tigers on a 4-play, 94-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown with 1:49 remaining.
Ohio State had an opportunity to answer, but it was Nolan Turner who came up with a game-clinching interception in the end zone to seal their fate and give the Tigers the win.
3. Notre Dame (2015 season)
This is a game that Clemson football fans will always remember fondly.
The stadium was packed to capacity- despite a torrential downpour- and the Tigers showed up ready to play against Notre Dame.
Let’s cut to the chase on this one.
Though Clemson held the lead for the entirety of the game (at one point holding a 21-3 lead), Notre Dame came roaring back in the second half.
The Fighting Irish cut the lead to 24-16 with 9:03 left in the contest and had a major opportunity once they scored another touchdown with just 0:07 remaining, cutting the lead to 24-22.
Notre Dame went for the two-point conversion- knowing that it would have all the momentum if things went to overtime- but faced a brick wall (led by Ben Boulware) and was stopped and the goal line, giving the Tigers the victory.
2. LSU (2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl)
All Clemson football fans remember the Chick-fil-A Bowl match-up against the LSU Tigers that saw Clemson enter the game as heavy underdogs.
The Tigers fought all night long with a very physical LSU team and took over with less than two minutes remaining. After two Tajh Boyd incompletions followed by a sack, Clemson faced a 4th-and-16 from its own 14-yard line.
That’s when the magic happened.
Boyd found DeAndre Hopkins over the middle- in between two LSU defenders- for a first down, to keep the drive (and the game) alive. The Tigers drove the ball down to the 20-yard line where Chandler Catanzaro knocked in the game-winning kick as time expired to give Clemson a 25-24 victory.
1. 2017 National Championship
Clemson and Alabama played a classic the year before, but the Tigers came up short.
Though Alabama certainly seemed like the more physical team and the Crimson Tide were heavy favorites, Clemson (led by Deshaun Watson) continued to fight and claw its way through the game.
Trailing 31-28, Watson took over with a little less than two minutes remaining and the rest is history.
The Clemson offense drove right down the field and capped off the drive with a game-winning touchdown pass a young Hunter Renfrow with just one second remaining to give the Tigers the victory and the National Championship.
It’s a firework moment that no one will ever forget and it’s clear that all five of these games will forever be etched in the history books for Clemson football fans.