Dabo Swinney gives passionate defense of Clemson players, himself after win vs Louisville

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LOUISVILLE, KY —  All Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney could do is crack a smile and laugh.

After Clemson upset No. 21 Louisville on Nov. 14, winning 20-19 at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium, ESPN sideline reporter Paul Carcaterra interviewed Swinney and said he was so positive entering the Week 12 game despite him being off to his worst start as the Tigers’ coach.

Swinney explained.

“The tougher it’s gotten, the closer they’ve become, the stronger they’ve gotten and the more they’ve dug in,” Swinney said. “And, that’s not normal. Not in today’s world. …

“Our record ain’t what we want it to be but we got a hell of a great group of young people right therethat just fought their butts off and gave every ounce of everything they had.

“A lot of people have quit on them. There ain’t no quit in that bunch, and they’re ain’t no quit in me. Go Tigers,” Swinney said.

Clemson (5-5, 4-4 ACC) entered 2025 picked as ACC favorites and a national championship contender but fell short of those expectations after starting the year 1-3.

Clemson suffered two additional losses to put its 20-year bowl-game streak in jeopardy. Yet, the Tigers avoided their worst record in ACC play under Swinney with the win vs. Louisville and reached .500 for the first time since they were 1-1 after Week 2.

Clemson held Louisville to 19 points, the least amount of points the Cardinals have scored since the 2023 ACC championship. The Tigers, who forced one turnover, broke Louisville’s 23-game streak with 24 or more points, which was the longest streak in ACC history according to ESPN.

Offensively, Clemson was not perfect, going 1-for-13 on third downs and fumbling on back-to-back plays inside the 5-yard line. Yet, the Tigers put enough drives together, including their six-play, 56-yard game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.

Swinney adored the fight his team showed on the road against a ranked opponent despite Clemson not having the season the Tigers anticipated.

“A lot of people have quit on them. There ain’t no quit in that bunch, and they’re ain’t no quit in me. Go Tigers,” Swinney said.

Now, Clemson has won two straight games and is a near lock to be bowl eligible, facing Furman, an in-state FCS school, on Nov. 22 (4:30 p.m. ET, The CW) at Memorial Stadium next.

“There’s a lot of teams out there that would’ve been defined or destroyed by a bad start, but not this team,” Swinney said. “… We’ve found a way to find a message in the mess. It’s been a beautiful thing to watch. Honestly, I wouldn’t trade it.”

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 defends Clemson players, himself after win vs Louisville

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