‘Control What We Can’: Swinney Rallies Clemson After Home Loss to Louisville

In a game that left Tiger fans stunned Saturday night, Clemson fell to Louisville at home, 33-21, marking the largest margin of loss in Death Valley in over a decade when then-No. 3 Clemson fell to No. 5 Florida State 51-14 in 2013.

The loss shakes up Clemson’s season aspirations as they fall to 6-2 overall and 5-1 in ACC play, surrendering control of their path to the ACC Championship Game. With tiebreakers favoring Miami and SMU over the Tigers, Clemson now faces an uphill climb, relying on outside help to have a shot at the conference title.

Head coach Dabo Swinney addressed the defeat after the game, crediting Louisville’s strong performance and acknowledging the stark contrast on the field.

"I give all the credit to Louisville and Coach [Jeff] Brohm and his staff,” Swinney said. “They flat-out got it done. This is not an easy place to win. We’ve got the best winning percentage at home, I think, in college football coming into tonight—and they walked in here, and they freaking kicked our tails all over the field. So, all you can do is own that. Go back to work.”

© Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK Get THREE Months for just $1.00 if you sign up today!  Read it: Unconventional. Unheralded. Unraveling.  Nearly three years after the unconventional promotion of Wes Goodwin to co-defensive coordinator, Clemson’s defense hit a new low, surrendering 210 rushing yards in a 33-21 loss to Louisville on Saturday night.

It was an uncharacteristic defeat for Clemson, who had only lost twice at home since that FSU blowout in 2013, both by just a single point. Those prior losses—a heartbreaking 43-42 loss to Pitt in 2016 and faltering against South Carolina, 31-30, two years ago—made Saturday’s more decisive margin all the more unsettling. The results couldn't have been farther from the expectation for a program that has defined itself by excellence and resilience. 

“At the end of the day, we’re 6-2. We’re 5-1 in the league. We don’t control our destiny anymore. That’s the incredibly disappointing part because we were right here. We were in control coming in, and now we’re not,” Swinney noted.

The defeat now leaves Clemson reliant on circumstances beyond their grasp. No. 13 SMU faces Boston College, Virginia, and Cal and remains the more vulnerable of the two teams Clemson would need to falter. It is hard to imagine No. 4 Miami dropping multiple league games. 

Yet, Swinney’s message to his players emphasized one thing they could control—their response.

“The one thing we do control is how we respond. That’s what we control. We can’t control anything else,” Swinney said.

Despite the disappointment, Swinney remained grounded in his approach, reminding the team that the sport’s unpredictable nature is simply part of the journey. Though their path has narrowed, the focus must be on preparing for the next game.

“When this is what you do for a living, and this is the world that we chose to be a part of, it’s really painful and hurtful. We have such great support, so many people that care so much about our program and support us. Man, it just feels like you let a lot of people down,” he reflected. “But that’s what we signed up for. It comes with it. We can’t do anything about it. It’s college football.”

As Clemson regroups, Swinney’s focus is forward-looking. There’s no erasing the disappointment of Saturday’s loss, but there is hope in how they finish the season. With a handful of games remaining, Swinney and his staff are determined to reestablish momentum and keep the Tigers competitive.

“There’s no hope for a better yesterday, right? So we’ve just got to respond,” Swinney said as the Tigers prepare for a matchup at Virginia Tech this weekend.

“We’ve got to show up Monday and show up tomorrow as a staff, and the players in there on Monday. We’ve got to get back to work and see if we can find a way to finish this week on the right side of things and try to recreate some momentum in our season.”

As Clemson’s season moves forward, their margin for error has shrunk, but Swinney is confident in his team’s resilience. For now, the Tigers are left to rally, recalibrate, and wait, knowing that even if they don’t control their future, they can still define how they respond.

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