Dabo Swinney discusses CFP loss to Ohio State as Clemson starts spring practice: 'We got smashed'
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney addressed the Tigers’ blowout loss to Ohio State in last season’s College Football Playoff on Wednesday afternoon.
He met with the media following the start of Clemson’s spring practice, and recalled the loss to the Buckeyes in detail.
Swinney put most of the blame on Clemson’s defense, which gave up six passing touchdowns to OSU quarterback Justin Fields.
“We stunk,” Swinney said, via 247Sports. “We were terrible on defense. Probably the worst defensive game we have played since the Orange Bowl in 2011. We got smashed in Miami. It is what it is. We played terrible technique and we got beat up front. We didn’t play perfectly offensively but we played well enough to win the game in a normal defensive game.
“They were just better than us. They lined up and outplayed us. Kicked our tails every which way.”
In addition to Fields, Ohio State running back Trey Sermon dominated the Clemson defense. He rushed the ball 31 times for 193 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, the Ohio State defense limited presumptive No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence to just two touchdown passes and an interception.
This was Ohio State’s first-ever win over Clemson, who had won the previous four meetings in this series. The programs only played once prior to 2014 — in the 1978 Gator Bowl.
Both programs will look a lot different in 2021, especially at the quarterback position. But it wouldn’t be shocking to see these teams face off again in the playoffs in the near future.