Swinney Tips Cap to Elliott - Clemson Coach was Taking No Chances Late Against Cavaliers

CLEMSON – With his team up 41-17 midway through the fourth quarter against Virginia, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney started doing what he typically does late in these types of games. He started sending in the reserves.

Although, despite being down more than two scores, Tony Elliott’s Cavaliers kept coming. An 8-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Tony Muskett followed by a successful 2-point conversion with just over two minutes to play pulled the Cavaliers to within 41-25. Despite an onside kick that was unsuccessful, Swinney had seen enough, and sent his first-team offense back out on the field.

“I’m trying to call the dogs out,” Swinney said after the win. “But that is what I told those guys. When we put the subs in, they don’t call timeout and say, ‘Oh they put the backups in, let’s put our backups in.’ They don’t do that.”

When starting quarterback Cade Klubnik took the field with the rest of the first-string offense after Chris Vizzina and some of the backups played just one offensive possession in the fourth quarter that led to a punt, the goal was simple. Put more points on the board.

“(Virginia) went tempo and they were no-huddle and they are flying down the field and score on those guys. And then they onside it,” Swinney added. “It’s 16-points. Technically it’s a two-score game.”

And that’s exactly what the Tigers did as Klubnik hit freshman T.J. Moore for a 34-yard touchdown strike to put Clemson right back up by three scores at 48-25.

“So, I am like alright, we are going to go score again. And we did,” Swinney said.  “Then we put the subs right back in.”

Virginia would score once more on the reserves to make the final score 48-31, but the game might not have been as close as the final score would indicate.

Either way, Swinney was impressed with the moxie and the never-give-up mindset of Elliott’s Virginia team, even going so far as to literally tip his cap to his former offensive coordinator after their final score of the contest.

“That was a good call,” Swinney said. “He went at our young corner out there and took a little shot and I saw him smiling over there. So I tipped my hat to  him. They kept playing.”

A limited number of signed replica road signs from Cade Klubnik are available!  Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!