Dabo Swinney Ripped by CFB Fans During No. 14 Clemson's Blowout Loss to No. 1 Georgia

Jack MurrayAugust 31, 2024

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 31: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers claps before the game during the Aflac Kickoff Game against the Georgia Bulldogs the Clemson Tigers at Mercedes Benz Stadium on August 31, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)

Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images

It was not an ideal start to the season for Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers.

A season-opening matchup against the Georgia Bulldogs was never going to be easy but a respectable performance could have given the No. 14 Tigers some momentum for the rest of the season.

Unfortunately for Clemson, that was not what happened.

Georgia Football @GeorgiaFootball
DAWGS ON TOP!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoDawgs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoDawgs</a> <a href="https://t.co/Owz6KW76zv">pic.twitter.com/Owz6KW76zv</a>

Clemson Football @ClemsonFB
Final | Clemson 3, Georgia 34

The Bulldogs blew out the Tigers 34-3, showing why they entered the 2024 season with the No. 1 ranking. Carson Beck tore up the Tigers, going 23-of-33 for 278 yards and two touchdowns while the collective rushing attack combined for 163 yards and two touchdowns.

Southeastern Conference @SEC
turned the jets ON down the sideline! 🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/GeorgiaFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GeorgiaFootball</a> x 📺 ABC <a href="https://t.co/wCRfpeE1sx">pic.twitter.com/wCRfpeE1sx</a>

SportsCenter @SportsCenter
STIFF-ARM AND STAYED IN BOUNDS TO SCORE 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/3AeSYnbq75">pic.twitter.com/3AeSYnbq75</a>

Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik went 18-of-29 for zero touchdowns and an interception. The rushing attack mustered just 46 yards against the Bulldogs defense.

Fans took to social media to criticize Swinney's coaching and inability to embrace the transfer portal as reasons for the blowout.

College Sports Only @CollegeSportsO
Dabo Swinney without a generational QB: <a href="https://t.co/xee0q4iMUV">pic.twitter.com/xee0q4iMUV</a>

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FanDuel @FanDuel
Dabo Swinney without Deshaun Watson or Trevor Lawrence <a href="https://t.co/GqxBiWGDoN">pic.twitter.com/GqxBiWGDoN</a>

Gabe Ikard @GabeIkard
Dabo Swinney's job is to do everything he can to assemble a team that can compete at the highest level of college football. He's not doing his job and will be criticized accordingly and it's completely fair.

Keith Jouganatos @KeithJouganatos
Dabo Swinney 's refusal to use the transfer portal, negative stance toward NIL is on full display today. The talent Georgia has compared to Clemson is night and day. Swinney is a VCR stuck in a Blue Ray world.

Hard Rock Bet @HardRockBet
Dabo Swinney without Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence <a href="https://t.co/6Wvy9lYkHN">pic.twitter.com/6Wvy9lYkHN</a>

Alex Barth @RealAlexBarth
So…Dabo Swinney?

Ari Wasserman @AriWasserman
Clemson used to be Georgia not that long ago. Through stubbornness and inability to adapt, Dabo Swinney has done this to his program. You could see today coming three years ago and he never did anything to change the course.

Stewart Mandel @slmandel
Hard to match up with the No. 1 team in the country when all your transfers are from high school.

Field Yates @FieldYates
A wild stat <a href="https://t.co/vUYNA905JM">https://t.co/vUYNA905JM</a>

Ross Dellenger @RossDellenger
Clemson has not scored a touchdown on Georgia in 31 consecutive drives, dating back to the second quarter of their game in 2014. That stretch covers 10.5 quarters of football, two full games and 155 minutes of game time.

Georgia has won 11 consecutive season openers, including all nine since Kirby Smart took over as head coach. This was the second consecutive season that Clemson lost its season opener.

This was the third time Swinney has lost a game by more than 30 points as Clemson's coach and it is the first time since 2013. While Georgia is a powerhouse program, the Tigers have College Football Playoff aspirations and this loss does not provide a lot of hope for that goal.

The Tigers still have a "win-and-in" scenario to get to the playoff through an ACC Championship bid. The loss to the Bulldogs did not impact those chances, as it was a non-conference game.

Clemson will look to get back on track next week when it hosts Appalachian State.

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