Dabo Swinney explains why Clemson, South Carolina agreed to no more flag plant celebrations
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CLEMSON — Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney said the Tigers will not plant a flag on South Carolina’s field if they win in Week 14.
“I don’t think it leads to anything good,” Swinney said on Nov. 25 during his weekly news conference. “Win the game, celebrate, all that stuff. But the extracurricular stuff on people’s fields, we need to be better. On both sides.”
South Carolina players tried to spike their flag on Clemson‘s logo after beating the Tigers last season in Memorial Stadium. The Gamecocks’ actions caused a scuffle between both teams when Clemson players tried to prevent the celebration.
The scrum happened as fans “gathered at the Paw,” a Tigers tradition where fans rush the field after every game and converge at the giant Orange paw at midfield regardless of opponent or victory margin.
Swinney, who was in the middle of the scuffle, described the situation as “nasty.”
“Fine to celebrate with your fans and all that stuff but disrespecting the logo and things like that, we all should be better in that regard and bad things come from that,” Swinney said.
The Tigers (6-5) will face South Carolina (4-7) on Nov. 29 (noon ET, SEC Network) at Williams-Brice Stadium. A win for Clemson ensures the Tigers avoid their worst regular-season finish since 2010 under Swinney when they were 6-6. A South Carolina win would avoid the Gamecocks’ worst regular-season finish under coach Shane Beamer.
Both teams have traded planting flags over the past three years. South Carolina did in 2022 when it beat Clemson 31-30 at Memorial Stadium to snap its seven-game losing streak in the series. Clemson returned the favor in 2023 in Columbia at Williams-Brice Stadium when former linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. planted the team’s flag after a 16-7 win.
Swinney said he spoke with Beamer and both agreed the flag celebration won’t continue.
“It’s on us as the adults to set the tone,” Swinney said.
What Dabo Swinney said about South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers
Last season, Clemson had no answer for South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers, who completed 13 of 21 passes for 164 yards and rushed for 166 yards, including the game-winning 20-yard touchdown with less than two minutes remaining.
Sellers, 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, forced 18 missed tackles vs. Clemson, according to Pro Football Focus. His rushing totals are down compared to last season, but Swinney recognizes the challenge Sellers presents.
“Offensively, it starts with their quarterback,” Swinney said. “He is an elite player. He can change the game with one play. We did a poor job with him last year.”
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dabo Swinney, Shane Beamer agree, no Clemson-South Carolina flag plant
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