Dabo Swinney evaluates what he saw from Garrett Riley in debut as Clemson's OC

The Clemson offense didn’t have the performance it was hoping to or expecting to in Monday night’s 28-7 loss to Duke.

Yes, the Tigers had plenty of chances. But they ultimately scored only one touchdown in Garrett Riley‘s debut as Clemson’s offensive coordinator. Dabo Swinney spoke following Monday night’s game about what he saw from Riley and the offense against the Blue Devils.

“He did a great job. I mean he was frustrated like me. He’d probably tell you the same thing – never been a part of a game like that. It was incredibly frustrating,” Swinney said. “But I liked his poise. He just kept going and he stayed positive and he kept encouraging the guys.”

Clemson outgained Duke 422 to 374 on the night and had 29 first downs, compared to 17 for the Blue Devils. However, none of that mattered.

On its first three drives of the second half, Clemson was inside Duke’s 15. The Tigers combined for zero points on those drives thanks to a pair of fumbles and a missed field goal.

“I mean we’d go right back down the field and we would have a miscue there,” Swinney said. “But again, he gave us an opportunity to win the game. He gave us an opportunity to punch it in multiple times, and we just didn’t get it done.”

Clemson finished with 213 rushing yards and 209 passing yards but still dropped the game. It marked the first time in school history that the Tigers lost a game while rushing for 200-plus and passing for 200-plus.

Swinney still likes the direction the offense is headed under Garrett Riley, but he also knows that the Tigers have to start finishing drives.

“A really strange and disappointing game, but I thought he did a nice job. He’s been really good for us. I loved his demeanor and his presence and his poise all throughout the game. He never lost hope or anything like that. And I liked how he responded to the guys,” Swinney said. “He knows we’ve got a chance to be a good group. Not the start we wanted. I mean again, we’ve got plenty of yards and stats and all that stuff. But we got our butts beat. And the name of the game is finishing when we have opportunities. But we’ll all get back to work and see if we can find a way this week.”

Clemson has a couple of weeks to get things straightened out as the Tigers host Charleston Southern and FAU in their next two games, before a likely top 5 Florida State team comes to town.