Dabo Swinney has seen plenty of first scrimmages in his 16 seasons as Clemson’s head coach. But Saturday’s preseason opener? The energy, intensity, and back-and-forth battles left him more fired up than frustrated — though he admitted there was plenty of both.
“We got the first preseason game down, that’s about as good as we can do,” Swinney said. “It was a competitive day, really competitive on both sides. Probably one of the more competitive first scrimmages we’ve had in a while.”
For the first time this fall, the Tigers went fully live in an extended scrimmage, simulating game-day conditions complete with ACC officials and new operations staff getting a trial run. The defense struck first, setting an early tone. The offense eventually battled back, hitting on several big plays of its own.
From Swinney’s view on the sideline, the constant swings were a sign of progress.
“I was mad at the offense, then I was mad at the defense, then happy with both, then pissed again,” he said with a grin. “That’s usually not a bad thing. I’ve been around scrimmages where it’s just a bad day for one side. Today, both sides competed.”
The Tigers worked through every scenario imaginable — red zone, short yardage, first-and-goal from the nine, and even high-pressure punting situations. Swinney noted the punter battle remains a “three-horse race” but wants to see “consistently good, not occasionally great” performances.
Young players flashed throughout, including a quarterback who jumped in with the first-team offense and engineered a sudden-change, three-play touchdown drive capped by a pair of big throws. Tackling, often a sore spot in early camp, was mostly solid.
The lone disappointment? The third-team defense, which Swinney said “did not compete like we needed them to.” Still, the overall tone was upbeat — the kind of sharp, competitive work Swinney believes can carry over into September.
“We’re getting better,” he said. “Good competition. That’s what you want this time of year.”