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The Clemson Tigers erupted for a 66-point outburst in an emphatic win over App State on Saturday. Mountaineer coach Shawn Clark didn’t seem happy with Dabo Swinney’s play calling late in that contest.
The Tigers’ offense looked unstoppable for much of the first half, scoring touchdowns on each of their first eight offensive possessions. It was a welcomed sight for Clemson fans who’ve complained about the unit’s production over the last few seasons.
The performance marked a program record for highest scoring first half output as Swinney’s bunch took a 56-13 lead into the halftime break.
Despite the healthy advantage, the head coach refused to take his foot completely off the gas.
While starters were pulled early on in that second half, the offense tried on a number of occasions to convert fourth down attempts late. In a couple of cases, the Mountaineers held strong to force turnovers on downs, but the aggressive approach wasn’t lost on viewers.
Shawn Clark was asked about those late conversion attempts as the Tigers eventually widened that lead to 66-20.
He didn’t seem happy!
“That’s his program,” he said in a postgame interview. “I have a lot of respect for Coach Swinney. That’s his program. He can do what’s best for his program.”
Clemson went for a number of 4th downs with its backups in the second half of a 66-20 win. Did App State HC Shawn Clark feel like Tigers were running up the score at all?
Clark: “That’s his program. I have a lot of respect for Coach Swinney … He’s gonna do what’s best” for them pic.twitter.com/hpD6wlrCmh
— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) September 8, 2024
Clark noted that Swinney was doing what he believed to be best for his team. That said, he probably wasn’t happy with being the guinea pig in Clemson’s offensive tune up.
Dabo Swinney isn’t worried about the perception, and you can argue that he eased up with the Tigers scoring just 10 points after the half. Still, the late fourth down conversion attempts certainly seemed to rub App State the wrong way!
With the victory, Clemson landed its first win of the 2024 season while scrubbing the bad taste of a touchdown-less performance against Georgia from their mouths.
The Tigers will have a couple of weeks to celebrate the record-setting night as they’re on bye this coming Saturday. They’ll then head into their ACC opener versus NC State at 1-1.