Part II: The Clemson football turnaround under Dabo Swinney

When did you know that the Clemson football program was different under Dabo Swinney?

While some Clemson football fans may have forgotten about the journey this football program has been on over the last decade and a half, there have been a few key moments that have allowed the TIgers to build into the national power that they are.

The victory over LSU in the Chik-fi-la Bowl was the win that cemented the belief that the Tigers knew they could play with the elite.

Coming off heels of a disappointing loss to South Carolina, the Tigers were matched up with the eighth-ranked Tigers from LSU who came into the game with two losses by a combined 12 points. The 2012 LSU roster included Odell Beckham Jr. Jarvis Landry, and 31 other players who would spend time in the NFL.

LSU played with a physicality and toughness that you just did not see in the ACC.

It was apparent from the first snap that the LSU game plan was as much to physically intimidate Clemson as it was any scheme they were seeking to use.

It did not look good early at the Georgia Dome.

Sammy Watkins fumbled on the second play of the game and was lost for the rest of the game with what looked like a gruesome ankle injury at the time. Clemson hung in there despite being without Sammy Watkins and Martavis Bryant and trailed at half 14-13.

LSU got the ball to start the second half and on their first play from scrimmage, Jeremy Hill took a handoff 57 yards for a touchdown, LSU would add a field goal in the third quarter to lead Clemson 24-13 going into the fourth quarter.

Offensively, Tajh Boyd had gone 2-5 for 10 yards in the 3rd quarter. The LSU defense was controlling the line of scrimmage and Clemson was going to have to get something going on offense to have any chance.

Clemson turned their first drive of the fourth quarter into a field goal to cut the LSU lead to 24-16. After another stop by the Clemson defense, Boyd led the offense on an 11 play scoring drive that saw DeAndre Hopkins score on a 12-yard reception to cut the LSU lead to 24-22.

The Clemson defense would force another three and out to set up one of the memorable moments in Clemson football history.

The 4th and 16 pass to DeAndre Hopkins still wows many today and eight plays later Chandler Cantanzaro knocked a walk-off 37 field goal through the uprights to take down LSU.

The win proved to the program and to the Clemson football fanbase that they were worthy of going toe to toe with the elite SEC competition. They had the mental makeup to get into a heavyweight fight, take the opposition’s best shot and be the last team standing.

The win over LSU set the tone for the offseason and the lead-up for the 2013 opener against Georgia that the Tigers would win 38-35 in one of the best college football game environments in Memorial Stadium history.

It is hard to say with certainty but there is reason to think that Georgia win does not happen without the win over LSU.

The back to back wins over two of the best programs the SEC had to offer provided Dabo Swinney and his coaching staff the ammo needed to blaze recruiting trails and go head to head in homes with Alabama, LSU, UGA, Texas, FSU, and every other national power at the time.

Without a doubt, the wins over Maryland, LSU, and UGA are why Clemson has made six straight College Football Playoffs and won two national titles over the last six college football seasons.