Tigers score 27 unanswered to beat Troy in weather-delayed thriller 27-16
After watching his team dig out of a 16-0 hole with 27 straight points, Dabo Swinney had two words for anyone questioning Clemson’s heart: courage and resilience.
The Tigers head coach faced reporters Saturday following a wild comeback win over Troy that saw everything go wrong before everything went right.
“There’s a lot of things that win football games, but two of the things that you got to have is, not just win a game, but to have a really good team, a good season, is you got to have resilience, and you got to have some freaking courage.”
Dabo Swinney
Klubnik Bounces Back Big
Cade Klubnik threw a pick-six that had Death Valley booing. Then he did what champions do – he answered right back.
“As I told you last week, if the worst part of that game last week was that our best player played poor, sign me up for that,” Swinney said of his quarterback. “Because there’s one thing I got no doubt on, it’s what #2’s (Cade Klubnik) made of. It shines you up, or it grinds you up. It’s all about what you’re made of. I know what that kid’s made of, and you saw that tonight.”
The sophomore quarterback put together five straight touchdown drives, finishing 18-of-24 for 196 yards and two scores. It was the third-biggest comeback in Death Valley history – and it happened when Klubnik needed it most.
Everything That Could Go Wrong
Weather delays. A pick-six. Missed tackles. Dropped passes. The first half felt cursed for Clemson, which trailed 16-0 and looked nothing like the team that’s supposed to compete for ACC titles.
“So man, that’s what champions do. That’s what resilience looks like. That’s what courage looks like. That’s what toughness looks like, especially mental toughness, and I was super proud of how they responded,” Swinney said of his team’s ability to regroup.
Booing Fans Don’t Faze Swinney
The boos rained down when Klubnik threw that pick-six. Swinney heard them loud and clear – and he was right there with them.
“No, it don’t bother me. Like, man, high expectations are high here, man. Like, we got to play better,” he said. “And, you know, this is a place that cares. And, you know, we show we care about how we play. And so, you know, that’s part of the game. It’s a passionate place. And I was right along with them.”
Building Something Special
Two games into the season, plenty of folks are hitting the panic button on Clemson. Swinney isn’t one of them.
“I saw resilience and courage and grit and toughness and character and will to win. No quit,” he said when asked what gives him confidence. “So you got all those things. You got a chance to be a good football team.”
Conference play starts soon. Key guys like Antonio Williams and Tristan Lee are banged up. But after what happened Saturday in the second half, Swinney believes he’s got something to work with.
Sometimes you learn more about a team when they’re down 16-0 than when they’re winning by 30. Saturday showed Clemson has fight – now they need to show they can start faster.
