‘We call that a deep onside’: Dabo explains the rare kickoff that flipped field position
Clemson’s 27–16 comeback win over Troy didn’t just showcase resilience and grit, it also featured one of the rarest plays you’ll see on a football field. A kickoff that wasn’t exactly an onside kick, but wasn’t a standard boot either.
Head coach Dabo Swinney explained the sequence on his weekly Tiger Hour radio show, calling it a specialty play the Tigers prepare for in practice. “We call that a deep onside. It’s a rare situation, but it’s something we practice, and it presented itself,” Swinney said.
After a 15-yard penalty on Troy, the Tigers had an opportunity to try the play after kicking off from the 50-yard line. Kicker Robert Gunn chipped the ball perfectly, forcing an awkward decision by the returner, which led to terrible field position for the Trojans at the 6-yard line. Two plays later, the Tigers would get an interception before striking for a 26-yard touchdown to turn the momentum.
“Their kid really shouldn’t give that fair-catch signal right there, because as soon as he does, he can’t advance the ball, and they still have to go cover the ball. It’s dead right there,” Swinney noted.
The play turned on a little-known detail in the kickoff rulebook. Swinney laid it out plainly: “If he hadn’t given the fair catch, then that’s a live ball, but because he gave the fair catch and didn’t catch it, you can’t advance it—no different than a punt.” The difference on a kickoff, he added, is that “it’s a live ball regardless, but he couldn’t advance it. It was perfect. It was exactly what we were trying to do.”
The decision wasn’t random — it was calculated. “I was like, ‘I don’t want to kick it out. Let’s work our deep onside here,’ and Robert just did an awesome job of executing it,” Swinney said of Gunn. “We didn’t want to kick the ball high enough to where he could” make a clean fair catch. Had the returner caught the ball in the air, “the ball would have come out to the 25-yard line,” Swinney explained.
Instead, because of the signal and the bounce, Clemson gained an edge in field position and momentum. “It was a well-executed play and really a momentum play for us, creating a nice shift, especially from a field-position standpoint,” he said.
For Swinney, the “deep onside” wasn’t just about stealing yards — it was about reinforcing a program-wide focus on the third phase of the game.
“Special teams have been really good. It was a great win. You don’t come back and win those games very often. It takes a lot of grit and belief and toughness, and they came back and finished well,” he said.
At this point, with Clemson and the way they’ve played, details matter. Whether it’s executing a “deep onside,” finishing a drive, or capitalizing on momentum, Swinney’s Tigers are leaning on the small, precise plays that can make the biggest difference when the season’s stakes climb.
