Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, so why does Dabo Swinney keep moving the goalposts up for Tait Reynolds? Over the weekend, he made it a point to say that Reynolds played his best game of the season on multiple occasions. This was not some comment he made in passing; he truly believes it! Thankfully, Swinney finally explained why he felt that Reynolds marveled on Saturday.
Swinney said during Tuesday's press conference that the game is starting to slow down for Reynolds. He expounded upon that by saying Reynolds was better with his protections, not taking unnecessary sacks, and being more effective in the ground game. While those are all great things to have out of any starting quarterback, his play will only be defined by how well and efficiently he throws the ball.
On the day, Reynolds completed 17-of-26 passes for 127 yards against the Charleston Southern Buccaneers' defense. While he did run the ball better -- as illustrated by his seven carries for 40 yards -- it was next to impossible for anyone watching the game to say this was Reynolds' best game to date. He was more heroic against UNC, most confident at Cal, and had better stats against Miami.
Swinney says the game is slowing down for Clemson QB Tait Reynolds, and he still feels like Charleston Southern was his best game, especially when it comes to his protections, not taking sacks, and making plays with his legs.
— Grayson Mann (@gray_mann21) October 20, 2026
Dabo Swinney continues to carry Tait Reynolds' water amid stagnation
In a way, the game slowing down for Reynolds feels almost paradoxical coming out of the Charleston Southern game. Is the game truly slowing down for Reynolds, or was this only a result of going up against FCS competition? We will soon enough, as Clemson is only playing Power Four teams the rest of the way. Clemson will host Virginia Tech on Saturday night to kick off the second half of the season.
Over the last four weeks, we have seen Reynolds show flashes of promise as a starting quarterback, but also look like a true freshman on multiple occasions in every game. When he is at his best, he is using his legs to buy himself more time getting out of the pocket to deliver strikes down the field. He did not do that at all against Charleston Southern, as Reynolds only averaged 4.9 yards per attempt.
While this was not Reynolds' worst game as a starter, there is not enough data to definitively say it was his best. Statistically, the road blowout at Miami was probably his best game to date. From a narrative standpoint, the comeback victory over North Carolina continues to be more impressive by the week. As for the Cal game, that was probably his worst, but winning on the road can be so hard.
Is Reynolds getting better? Debatably. However, Swinney has found his golden goose, and this true freshman can do no wrong. As a result, Swinney has been quick to throw his receivers under the bus for not catching Reynolds' contested passes. The game could be slowing down for the quarterback, but it does not look to be the case when the field is shrinking. He must get better in the red zone fast.
Swinney might be seeing things that we are not privy to with Reynolds, or he is just seeing things.
Add us as a preferred source on Google