Clemson’s 17-10 loss to LSU has left the Tigers searching for answers, and Dabo Swinney isn’t pulling punches. His Tuesday press conference turned into a fiery critique of his offense — one that squarely landed on quarterback Cade Klubnik and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley.
“The biggest issue in that game was our best player didn’t play well,” Swinney said. “If two [Klubnik] ain’t a dude, we don’t win. Dudes gotta be dudes. This is big boy football.”
But the head coach made it clear that Klubnik wasn’t the only one who has to be better.
Garrett Riley Under Fire
While Clemson’s defense delivered a performance Swinney called “winning football,” the offense sputtered. Swinney didn’t hesitate to put Riley on notice for not doing enough to ease Klubnik into the flow of the game.
“We didn’t do a good job helping him. That’s where Garrett’s gotta do a better job,” Swinney said. “We’ve got to make sure Cade is ready for some of the pressures he saw. A couple times he just got spooked — that’s on us too.”
Swinney said it wasn’t exotic looks from LSU that doomed the offense — it was routine stuff.
“They didn’t do anything we don’t see every day,” Swinney said. “That’s the part that frustrates you. It’s day-one football, and we didn’t execute it. That’s on Cade, but it’s on us coaches too. We’ve got to put him in better situations.”
Cade Klubnik’s “Bad Day”
The blunt truth: Klubnik didn’t play like the star Clemson needs him to be.
“He had a bad day. Ain’t no other way to say it,” Swinney said. “It wasn’t complicated. Just simple reads, simple progressions, routine throws. And he didn’t hit them.”
Swinney laid out example after example.
“Third-and-12, Tyler Brown’s the read. That’s a 50-yard touchdown if Cade throws it. Instead, he bails and scrambles. Same thing with Wesco — he’s wide open, Cade throws it into double coverage. If Cade just does the routine stuff, we win.”
Missed Opportunities Everywhere
It wasn’t just Klubnik’s miscues. Swinney was animated as he ran through the avalanche of mistakes.
“We went for it twice on fourth down and didn’t get either,” Swinney said. “TJ drops a slant. Wesco drops a slant. Cade doesn’t throw the touchdown to Tyler Brown on the last play — he’s wide open. That’s the ballgame.”
Instead of controlling LSU, Clemson played from behind.
“We should’ve been up 17-3. Period,” Swinney snapped. “But when you don’t make routine plays, it’s a one-score game. And against LSU, that’s death.”
Defensive Pride, Offensive Doubt
Swinney reserved his praise for a defensive front that lived up to the billing.
“That D-line and those linebackers — the only offseason narrative that held up,” he said. “That was Clemson defense. Physical, tough. LSU rushed for 2.8 yards a carry in the last 58 minutes. That’ll win you a lot of games.”
But the offense? Swinney knows it has to change, starting with Riley.
“We’ve got plenty of talent,” Swinney said. “But we’ve got to clean up execution, and Garrett has to help Cade play to his strengths. When your best player struggles, you’ve got to coach him through it. We didn’t do that well enough.”
“Bring It On”
If critics want to write off Clemson, Swinney all but dared them.
“Say we suck again. Say Cade ain’t it. Say the coaches ain’t it,” he said. “That’s fine. I got confirmation of what this team is and what it’s going to be. Not what it can be — what it’s going to be.”
And the marching orders were clear:
“When our dudes play like dudes, we win. Cade will respond. Garrett will respond. And this team? We’re going to be a great football team.”