Dabo Swinney urges Clemson defense to be less 'feast or famine' in second half vs. Texas

Clemson came out and scored first on Texas in a first-round College Football Playoff game in Austin, but the Longhorns quickly rallied in front of the home crowd and opened up a sizeable 28-10 halftime lead.

Tigers coach Dabo Swinney seemed a bit at a loss for how to turn things around, with Texas getting virtually whatever it wanted offensively, especially in the ground game.

Get your team’s official College Football Playoff watch from AXIA by CLICKING HERE: “Watches that tell so much more than time”

“We’ve got to get in there and talk about it,” Swinney told the broadcast crew at halftime. “I mean we can’t stop them right now, so we’ve got to find a way.”

Clemson surrendered 289 total yards in the first half, and it was a well-balanced split for Texas. The Longhorns ran for 148 yards and threw for 141 more, with quarterback Quinn Ewers virtually unchallenged.

Ewers went 11-of-14 for 141 yards and a touchdown in the first half.

If Clemson’s going to turn its fortunes in the second half, it will need to put more pressure on Ewers and force him into some bad down-and-distance situations. That starts with being better against the run.

Texas averaged 6.7 yards per carry in the first half.

“Good job getting a couple turnovers, but we’re just feast or famine on defense,” Swinney said. “And that ain’t a good thing.”

Clemson did benefit with a near pick-six in the second quarter, picking off Ewers. But RJ Mickens‘ return was nullified by an illegal block that called the return back. The Tigers had to settle for a field goal instead.

On offense, Clemson finished with 182 yards in the first half — 117 passing and 65 rushing.