Clemson HC Dabo Swinney gives an honest reaction to getting “butt kicked” after 34-3 loss against Georgia

Clemson suffered an opening-day defeat to No.1 Georgia on Saturday and coach Dabo Swinney has taken responsibility for the loss. The Tigers were blown out by the Bulldogs at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, in a game that ended 34-3.

The first half of the game was hotly contested as it ended 6-0, with Georgia scoring two field goals. However, the run of events changed in the second half as Dabo Swinney’s team couldn’t match the offensive intensity of the Bulldogs, led by quarterback Carson Beck.

“When you get beat like that, that’s on the head coach. That’s on me,” Swinney said post-game per the Rock Hill Herald. “That’s complete ownership of an absolute crap second half. Sometimes you get your butt kicked and we did today. You’ve got to give Georgia credit and move on from it.”

The Week 1 loss to Georgia is a huge setback for Clemson in a season in which it is seeking to get things right. Nonetheless, Dabo Swinney believes the Tigers, who suffered four losses in the 2023 college football season, have the chance to fight back for the rest of 2024.

“We’ve got to battle back. It’s a long season ahead. Georgia is a great football team. This is one game. Whether you get your butt kicked or lose by one point, when you lose you lose. It’s 0-1," Swinney said.

“We’ve got to flush it and we’ve got to learn from it. I don’t shy away from games like this. When you play games like this, you’ve got a chance to learn and you’ve got a chance to teach.”

This marks the second consecutive season Clemson has recorded an opening-day defeat after suffering a 28-7 loss to Duke in 2023. The team will hope to avoid the same struggles of last season as the College Football Playoff gets expanded to 12 teams in 2024.

Dabo Swinney on preparation for the next game

Clemson will look to get to winning ways in its next game in Week 2. The Tigers host Appalachian State in a game in which they will be considered an overwhelming favorite.

“We’ve got maybe the best Group of Five team in the country coming in," Swinney said. "We’ll get back at it Monday. We did a lot of good things, but it doesn’t matter when you get your ass kicked in the third and fourth quarters.”

While Clemson continues to find its way out of the Atlantic Coast Conference through legal means, Dabo Swinney will hope to lead his team to significant success in 2024.