Clemson’s 27–16 win over Troy wasn’t pretty, but Dabo Swinney made it clear he saw character in the Tigers’ response.
“Just a really weird game, a lot of adversity to have to overcome early, but the guys stayed together and really proud of them for battling,” Swinney said. “They really put a good second half together offensively to get it going.”
The Tigers answered a brutal first half—complete with drops, penalties, and a pick-six—by ripping off 27 unanswered points and controlling the final 30 minutes.
Special Teams Deliver Again
If there’s been one consistent bright spot through two weeks, it’s special teams.
“Two games in a row, I think our special teams have done a lot of good things,” Swinney said. “Jack Smith averaged 45 and had a 50-plus yarder… Robert Gunn, that was a huge, well-executed deep onside to the five, couple field goals, good kick return and field goal block. It’s great to see a stop to a fake.”
Swinney’s message: Clemson is flipping fields and creating momentum in hidden phases of the game.
Defense Bends, But Won’t Break
While Troy found success moving the chains, Swinney emphasized the ultimate goal—keeping opponents out of the end zone.
“Defensively, I thought we had more mistakes in this game than we did our first game,” Swinney admitted. “But the name of the game is points. We’ve played two games now and we’ve given up three touchdowns. Sign me up for that.”
Still, the coach pointed to missed tackles and poor execution on key downs.
“Too many third and longs… especially third-and-7, third-and-10, and we let them run the ball,” he said.
Cade Klubnik Settles In
Quarterback Cade Klubnik rebounded from early mistakes to finish 18-of-24 (75%), engineering five straight scoring drives.
“Cade really responded,” Swinney said. “I just thought he showed great leadership. We were three-for-three in the red zone and got nine points off turnovers.”
On Klubnik’s timing issues, Swinney admitted, “He was late on that one [to TJ Moore]… but still, we’ve got to make that play. Cade flushed and threw it on the run when he didn’t have to. But he really settled down in the second half.”
Run Game Sparks Behind Adam Randall
With the backfield searching for answers, wide receiver-turned-running back Adam Randall got his most extended action.
“Good to get Adam going. That’s obviously the most he’s ever played at running back,” Swinney said. “Adam… ton of heart, ton of toughness and leadership along with Cade. He just got us going.”
Swinney also noted the offensive line’s adjustments to Troy’s twisting fronts: “We went more to our gap scheme stuff and caught some of the movement. That was critical.”
Lessons Learned, Eyes on Georgia Tech
Swinney knows Troy exposed weaknesses that Georgia Tech will target next weekend.
“We’ve got to clean up some things technique-wise on the perimeter,” he said. “We put some stuff on tape that opponents will see. We’ve got to get that corrected.”
But the coach believes the early adversity could prove valuable.
“When you get battle tested early, that can be a positive for you,” Swinney said.