- Duke beat Clemson on Monday night in a shocking upset.
- Clemson coach Dabo Swinney called it "the weirdest game" he'd ever been a part of.
Unranked Duke shocked the college football world with a 28-7 upset of sixth-ranked Clemson on Monday.
The loss was a big blow to Clemson's hopes of returning to the College Football Playoff for the first time in three years. However, despite the lopsided score, it could be argued that Clemson outplayed Duke except when it mattered most.
Clemson had more passing yards and rushing yards than Duke and had 12 more first downs. However, Clemson had two field goals blocked and fumbled twice close to the endzone.
CLEMSON REFUSES TO GET IN THE ENDZONE
— Barstool Gambling (@stoolgambling) September 5, 2023
ANOTHER FUMBLE pic.twitter.com/tEjf7e4u9k
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney was dumbfounded by the result.
"That's the weirdest game I've ever been a part of," Swinney said. "I've been beat. I've had my butt kicked. But that's the strangest game I've ever been a part of."
According to Swinney, Clemson had also been 108-0 in their history when they rushed and passed for over 200 yards, something they matched in their loss to Duke.
More importantly for Swinney and Clemson, it is just another ugly loss that strongly suggests that their era of dominance is officially over, a sentiment shared by ESPN college football insider Paul Finebaum.
"Dabo's dynasty is done," Finebaum said on ESPN's "Get Up." "What else can anybody say? It's really been teetering for a couple of years, but what happened last night is simply unexplainable."
Finebaum added later that the players are no longer responding to Swinney and his "act" and that the program is "flatlining."
After the loss, Duke fans stormed the field, showing how big of a loss this was for Clemson.
DUKE STORMS THE FIELD AFTER TAKING DOWN NO. 9 CLEMSON‼️ pic.twitter.com/Dz8L3wvSUt
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 5, 2023
Clemson went to six straight College Football Playoffs from 2015 through 2020, winning two national championships. The success had many believing that Swinney and the Tigers were the heirs to the throne held by Alabama and their legendary coach, Nick Saban.
But after the loss to Duke, Clemson has now lost four of their last seven games, including a 31-14 blowout loss to Tennessee in last year's Orange Bowl to end the season.
This was also the second time in three seasons that Clemson lost their season opener. According to ESPN, no team lost their first game and still made the playoff.
Clemson has a big hill to climb if they want to prove they are still one of the top programs in college football.