Swinney says victory over FSU is in his top-five wins in his college career

Swinney said Saturday's victory was special.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat Oct 30 22:28:03 GMT-04:00 2021

CLEMSON – Clemson’s 30-20 victory over Florida State Saturday won’t register at the end of the season when the national pundits write and talk about the biggest wins of the season, but head coach Dabo Swinney said it was one of the top-five victories in playing and coaching college run.

The Tigers outlasted the Seminoles on the strength of a stingy defense and the hard running of freshman running back Will Shipley. The game was marred by penalties, too many turnovers, and missed kicks. The offense spent the majority of the second half stuck in first gear, allowing the Seminoles to hang around.

A late scoop-and-score gave the Seminoles a lead midway through the fourth quarter, but the Tigers scored the final two touchdowns of the night, the last one a scoop-and-score by Barrett Carter that accounted for the final points.

Swinney told the media what the win meant to him in a season plagued by not only by mistakes, but by youth and injuries.

"Just proud of our guys. Thirteen years here and nineteen at Alabama, I would probably put (tonight) in top-five wins all-time,” Swinney said. “I can't put into words all that we've dealt with this year. They're just so resilient. You saw the foundation of our program tonight. You can build something great but also withstand adversity when it comes. Unshakable belief. That shined through tonight, that's what they stood on tonight."

Following the late score by the Seminoles, the Clemson offense marched down the field and scored on a 21-yard run by Shipley.

"It was the way intended to be: the offense had to go win the game, with how bad we've been this year,” Swinney said. “Most of our drives were scoring opportunities, even if we didn't finish. Our running backs were two freshmen. You think they're going to get better or worse? We ran the ball tremendously.

"BT Potter had his worst night in a long time. After the game, I told him to shake it off. He's been money for us all year and had our back. Tonight, the offense and defense needed to have his back.”

Clemson’s defense gave up just 11 first downs and 244 total yards but Swinney didn’t like the execution in the first half.

"Defensively, we didn't line up well, we were soft in the run game in the first half. I was really disappointed. Four offsides penalties. But man, in the second half, they did a good job," he said."We played a lot of nickel/dime/robber coverage. Nobody has been able to get to him all year. This QB is the most difficult guy to get down. We did an awesome job."

Starting center Mason Trotter suffered an injury in the first half, and right guard Will Putnam was seen limping throughout the game.

"I don't really know where we are injury-wise. We'll re-group. Hopefully we have seven offensive linemen that can play,” Swinney said.

Shipley had 25 carries for 128 yards and two scores and added four receptions for 24 yards. He also had two kick returns for 42 yards, giving him 194 all-purpose yards.

“He was amazing. He is what he is. He's just relentless,” Swinney said. “Sometimes he has those big freshmen eyes, but once those eyes get smaller and his breath gets a little more controlled, it'll be amazing what he can do. He's just relentless. He's built different than a lot of people.

"Man I love Phil Mafah. What a big stallion. They're roommates and great friends. They're going to be a fun duo."

Swinney said he enjoyed what he saw in the locker room after the victory.

"Sometimes those are sweeter than a 35-3, especially when you're trying to build and teach."