No. 2 Clemson lost as a 24-point favorite at Syracuse, 27-24, on Friday night. The Tigers could’ve blamed the injury loss of already-injured starting QB Kelly Bryant, their many penalties, the short-week travel to an unorthodox facility, or any number of other factors.
4 ways Dabo Swinney’s Clemson was super classy after suffering an upset loss to Syracuse
The head coach set an example, and his players showed a lot of maturity after the harsh result.
Instead, they praised the team that simply played the better game all night long.
After navigating the postgame mayhem, Swinney could be seen telling Syracuse head coach Dino Babers, “I’m so happy for you.” Quite a step beyond the usual “good game, and you got a hell of a team.”
My favorite part: Dabo blamed himself, not his players.
Way, way, way too many coaches default to We Gotta Execute, Plain And Simple, which implies the head coach’s plan was perfect, but foiled by everybody else. This part right here is a leadership lesson.
He made sure Cuse players knew how he felt, too.
Also from ESPN.com’s David Hale:
[Syracuse LB] Zaire Franklin said Dabo Swinney sought out [Syracuse WR] Steve Ishmael in the locker room to compliment his game, addressed all the players to congratulate them on the win, and even took pictures with a couple players.
“That’s one of the classiest things I’ve seen in my life,” Franklin said. “To have been knocked down like that and have the humility to come talk to us, that was cool as hell.”
That’s clearly rubbed off on his players as well, with multiple Tigers going out of their way to praise Syracuse after the game.
“We’re very disappointed, there’s a lot of pain in our locker room,” Swinney said after Syracuse’s 27-24 win over Clemson. “But, listen, this is a story about Syracuse. This ain’t about Clemson. This is about Syracuse. They out-played us, out-coached us.”
Ask any of the Tigers about 20 minutes after the loss and they’d tell you the same, going so far as to raise their voices to be heard over the elated shouts of Syracuse players in the adjacent locker room.
“First off, I want to congratulate Syracuse,” defensive end Clelin Ferrell said. “They played their hearts out and they were the better team tonight.”
Swinney is now 95-29 as Clemson’s head coach, one of only four active head coaches with an FBS national title.
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