Dabo Swinney shares message, ‘I’m sorry for our fans’

Dabo Swinney had a message for Clemson fans after the No. 14 Tigers were thoroughly beaten by No. 1 Georgia in their season opener at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The game was close at halftime, with Clemson trailing just 6-0, but the Bulldogs dominated the second half, ultimately securing a 34-3 victory.

Swinney didn’t hold back in expressing his disappointment. “I’m sorry for our fans,” he said. “I feel terrible for them because we didn’t get it done for them and didn’t play those last two quarters like we know we can play.” Despite the tough loss, Swinney assured fans that the team would regroup and move forward. “But I promise you this – we’ll get back to work. We’ve got a long season ahead. We’ll see if we can find a way to have a great Sunday tomorrow, a great Monday, and find a way to get on the other side of this thing.”

Clemson’s offense struggled to gain any momentum, managing just 188 yards and a single field goal. Swinney acknowledged the frustration surrounding the lack of offensive explosiveness, particularly after the hiring of Garrett Riley as offensive coordinator. “I’d say we’ve got a long season ahead. That’s what I’d say,” Swinney remarked. “I’d say (today) was bad. Georgia’s going to make a lot of people look bad, and they made us look bad today. But I do think that we’ll get back to work on Monday, and we’ll go get better.”

Clemson will look to recover in their home opener against App State on September 7.