Dabo Swinney on Clemson freshmen making an impact on defense: 'We've got some ballers'
Clemson Tigers wrapped up the 2023 regular season with a win over rival South Carolina Gamecocks on the road 16-7 . After the game, the Tigers’ head coach, Dabo Swinney , shared his thoughts on his team’s performance.
“This is a hard-fought game to come in this environment and win the turnover margin,” said Swinney. “That’s been the key for us this year. Wish we could have finished a couple more. We had some opportunities that we didn’t finish, but we really played our defense all night. I’m proud of those guys. We just kind of called it and played through it. We made some big plays. Obviously, the score to start the game was huge. Really just happy for our fans. I’ve got a great appreciation for Coach Beamer and his guys and how hard they competed. We’re just thankful to win it.”
It was a defensive battle at Williams Brice Stadium. Clemson’s defense suffocated its in-state foe, allowing only 169 yards of total offense, 2-13 conversions on 3rd down, and won the turnover battle 2-1. And Clemson’s offense played a role in keeping South Carolina’s offense, led by Spencer Rattler, off the field as they controlled the time of possession, winning that battle 38 to 22 minutes.
One of the areas that Swinney was most enamored with was his crop of young freshman players. As he wrapped up his postgame interview, he praised the young tigers for their performances on the year and gave a special shout-out to Khalil Barnes .
“We’ve got some ballers. We’ve got some dudes in that group. We’ve got more on the way. We really like our roster and these guys are gonna be around here for a while. Khalil Barnes had a heck of a day once again. He’s had a great year. We’re just happy again for our fans.”
Although Clemson finishes 2023 on a high note, it will be the set time in the past three years that Clemson has not participated in the ACC championship game. Something that previously hadn’t happened since the 2014 season.
Swinney and the Tigers finished the regular season 8-4, which is not up to their usual standard but a respectable season nonetheless. Now, Clemson and their head coach, we’ll wait and see which bowl game they will get invited to and who will be their next opponent. And whoever gets the pleasure of facing Clemson and whichever bowl game should beware: the Tigers are on the prowl and are currently riding a four-game winning streak.
