CLEMSON, S.C. — While the media and fans have harped on Clemson’s 21-point loss at Notre Dame, the Tigers have not.
It has been business as usual for the 10th-ranked Tigers as they get set to take on a Louisville squad that has won four games in a row and is playing as well as anyone in the ACC right now.
Despite the fact the Cardinals are on the way up and Clemson appears to be on the way down, head coach Dabo Swinney is confident his team will be ready to play when the game kicks off at 3:30 pm Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
“I am always confident. I ain’t never not been confident,” Swinney said. “And why wouldn’t I be confident? These guys have always come out and played for Clemson years and years now. One bad game does not change that for me.”
However, the Tigers (8-1, 6-0 ACC) played really bad against the Irish. The special teams allowed a punt to be blocked, which led directly to seven points, while quarterback DJ Uiagalelei threw an interception that was returned 96 yards for a score.
Things were not much better on the defensive side of the ball. The Tigers allowed Notre Dame to run for 263 yards and average 5.8 yards per carry. It was a bad game all the way around for a Clemson program that has not played that bad in a regular season game since a 2013 loss to Florida State.
However, Swinney said if the team worried about what happened at Notre Dame on Wednesday, it is probably not going to be good for them on Saturday. It all has to be about Louisville and doing what it takes to win the game.
“They have responded like you would want them to respond,” Swinney said. “They have taken ownership, no finger pointing. Everybody knows what we have to do better. Everybody knows what we did really poorly.
“Again, like I said the other day, you refocus, you get the right perspective, and you go back to work. That is what they have done.”
