"Dabo Swinney has a knack for finding a silver lining. It has been his defining trait over the past five seasons, as Clemson has hovered near the top of the ACC, but frustratingly far from the run of dominance it enjoyed in the 2010s. In a loss, Swinney found lessons. Even after a blowout, he saw hope. Even in the midst of fan revolt, he found all the evidence he needed of an inevitable turnaround within his own locker room."
"Perhaps that's what's most jarring about Clemson's most recent bout with mediocrity. It's not just that the Tigers, the prohibitive favorite in the ACC to open the season, are 1-3 heading into Saturday's showdown with equally disappointing and 2-2 North Carolina ( noon ET, ESPN), but that Swinney's usual optimism has been tinged with his own frustration. "It's just an absolute coaching failure," Swinney said. "I don't know another way to say it. And I'm not pointing the finger, I'm pointing the thumb."
Clemson entered the season as ACC favorite but started 1-3, marking its worst opening since 2004 and intensifying scrutiny. Coach Dabo Swinney acknowledged responsibility, calling the situation a coaching failure and saying he hired and empowered the staff. The program has experienced repeated slow starts in recent years despite remaining near the top of the conference, and a recent home loss to Syracuse heightened fan frustration. Former players have expressed blunt dismay, and an upcoming game against 2-2 North Carolina increases pressure to make rapid adjustments and reverse the downward trend.
Read at ESPN.com
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