For those panicking about Clemson’s uneven start, Swinney had a reminder: he’s been here before.
“I feel like I live in 2016 all over again,” Swinney said. “I went back with my notes from 2016 after just curious, and it was like I could have just erased the name. Same comments.”
Early Season Struggles Don’t Define Teams
In 2016, Clemson’s offense sputtered out of the gate, and Watson faced heavy criticism. That team, of course, went on to beat Alabama in Tampa to capture a national championship.
“We just weren’t playing well early in 2016. People were beating Deshaun up. It was his last year, all the hype, but that group had to learn to fight through it,” Swinney said. “That’s what this group has to do too.”
One Play at a Time
For Swinney, the takeaway is clear: stop fast-forwarding. “You don’t just hit fast forward,” he said. “It don’t work that way. This ain’t a video where you skip 10 seconds ahead. It’s one step at a time, one play at a time.”
If Swinney’s comparison holds true, Clemson fans may have reason to believe the early turbulence could turn into something special by season’s end.