Following Clemson’s 17–10 loss to LSU, head coach Dabo Swinney offered a colorful postgame analogy. He called the matchup a “final exam on the first day of class,” grading his Tigers with a 58 and LSU with a 65.
“It was a hell of a game,” Swinney said. “Down to the last play… They made a 65, we made a 58. Neither one of us were great.”
Kelly Fires Back
The comments didn’t sit well with LSU head coach Brian Kelly, who wasted no time firing back during his own Tuesday press conference.
“I thought we dominated them in the second half,” Kelly said. “So, he’s either a really good grader, for giving himself a 58, or he’s a really hard grader on us.”
Then came the jab: “Or, he didn’t see the second half, which that might be the case — he might not have wanted to see the second half.”
A Game of Halves
Kelly has a point. After trailing 10–3 at halftime, LSU controlled much of the second half, scoring 14 unanswered points. Still, Clemson nearly forced overtime. On the final drive, Cade Klubnik’s fourth-and-4 pass from the LSU 15-yard line fell incomplete with under a minute to play, sealing LSU’s win.
What’s Next
The Tigers of the ACC and SEC will meet again to kick off the 2026 season, this time in Baton Rouge. With the verbal sparring already underway, the rematch promises to carry even more juice.