Tigers see 'huge' game ahead with Georgia, but Swinney keeps opener in perspective

Dabo Swinney sees a 'huge' game ahead with Georgia, but he recognizes there's a long season afterward no matter the result.

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Tuesday, July 16 2024

Clemson’s season opener is simply a different beast.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Football staff held its annual media day at the Reeves Football Complex, with all eyes on the task ahead.

The last time Swinney’s coaching staff prepared for a ranked opponent in the opener, sure enough, it was the Bulldogs in a neutral site game. A lot can change in three years.

Both squads have changed in more ways than just the roster since their 2021 meeting in Charlotte, where a pick-six gave Georgia the 10-3 victory. The Tigers have not reached the College Football Playoff since 2020, while the Bulldogs have won two National Championships.

If there was a theme on Tuesday, it was a resurgence in focus.

Against Duke in the 2023 opener, everything that could’ve gone wrong for the Tigers went worse than expected. Clemson lost 28-7 to the Blue Devils, which set the tone for a 4-4 start to the season.

Against Georgia on Aug. 31, the margin for error is likely non-existent, and the staff is more than aware of this.

Defensive backs coach Mike Reed responded bluntly to the expectations when asked about Georgia being anything but a layup.

“Heck, last year wasn’t a layup,” Reed said. “We got our butts kicked. I don’t care who it is out there. You have to go get it. We have to come together as a team, and we got to go for it.”

Clemson’s defensive staff is undoubtedly coming together on a unifying message.

Nick Eason was next to sing Georgia’s praises, who gave a top team of the decade all the credit he could muster.

“We're playing a team that's a powerhouse,” Eason said. “They've had a lot of success over the last three to five years, with two national championships. They have a great coaching staff and players, so it will be a huge challenge for us in game one.”

Georgia is 42-2 since the start of the 2021 season. This includes the aforementioned two National Championship titles, one against Nick Saban, and a trouncing of TCU to be repeat champions.

Nobody understands what Georgia brings to the table more than Swinney does, but he took a different approach to his message.

Georgia will present a considerable challenge, and maybe the Tigers, a 13.5-point underdog currently, will fall to the best team in the country, but Swinney doesn’t want one game to define them.

"If you win it, it doesn't tell you much, either,” Swinney said. “You still have to go win the next game. That's what it is. I don't look at it that way. It's a huge game. This is the best team in the country to me, the last three years in totality in Georgia. There shouldn't be any question about that. I mean, you find out where you are in that moment for sure, but you can't let that moment define the rest of the season even if you win it. If that's all about that, you get beat against App State next week quickly, and if it doesn't go your way and you just wall around in that, it will beat you two more times.”

The Bulldogs and Tigers’ clash will paint a small picture of the college football season's canvas. For Swinney and Clemson, he wants the focus to stay outside of the broad strokes.