Dabo Swinney’s Unexpected Warning to Georgia Tech Before ACC Showdown Sparks Buzz

Saturday marks the kickoff of ACC action for the Clemson Tigers, who will hit the road to battle the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta. Ranked No. 11 in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll, Clemson enters after a solid 27-16 victory over Troy, while Georgia Tech, riding a 2-0 streak including a commanding 59-13 win against Gardner-Webb, looks to make a statement. Though unranked, the Yellow Jackets have garnered significant attention, stirring anticipation for the noon ET faceoff that ESPN will broadcast live. With Clemson’s Dabo Swinney acknowledging the toughness and tactical prowess of Georgia Tech under coach Brent Key, and with the spotlight on key performers like injured-but-resilient QB Haynes King, this clash promises drama, history, and hard-fought football. Get all the insights and buzz leading up to the game. LEARN MORE

The Clemson Tigers are set to open ACC play Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Clemson, which is ranked No. 11 in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll, is coming off a 27-16 win over the Troy Trojans. Georgia Tech defeated Gardner-Webb, an FCS team, 59-13 last Saturday to improve to 2-0 after opening the season with a 27-20 win at Colorado.

The Yellow Jackets are unranked but received the third-most votes for top 25 consideration in this week’s AP poll. Clemson vs. Georgia Tech will kick off at noon ET Saturday. The game will be televised on ESPN.

Swinney previewed the Tigers’ Week 3 opponent at his weekly Tuesday press conference and offered praise for the job third-year Georgia Tech coach Brent Key has done since taking over full time in 2023.

“Got a huge challenge in Georgia Tech,” Swinney said. “This is a big game for both teams. Obviously, we’re getting into conference play and our first road test so excited about the opportunity. Brent has done an amazing job down there. This is a tough, physical, well-coached football team. They’re battle tested, especially on offense with that quarterback.”

Georgia Tech starter Haynes King did not play in the Yellow Jackets’ win over Gardner-Webb due to a lower-body injury, but redshirt freshman Aaron Philo was 21-of-28 for 373 yards and a touchdown. Against Colorado in Week 1, King was 13-of-20 for 143 yards and had 156 yards and three scores on 19 carries.

King, a sixth-year senior in his third season with the Jackets, has not been ruled out ahead of Saturday’s game. Key said on Monday that a decision wouldn’t be made on his availability status until later in the week.

“This guy is a warrior,” Swinney said of King. “I have a ton of respect for him as a player.”

Swinney also noted the rivalry between Clemson and Georgia Tech. The two teams didn’t play last year, but Saturday will mark the 89th meeting in the all-time series. Georgia Tech leads the head-to-head tally, 50-36-2, but Clemson has won nine straight and 11 of the series’ last 12 dating back to 2012.

“Clemson-Georgia Tech’s one of the older ones,” Swinney said. “Been going on for a long time. It’s always fun to be a part of this game. Been a lot of great ones over the years and we’re thankful for this opportunity, but look forward to going down there and having a great competition.”

Here’s what else Swinney said about Clemson’s Week 3 opponent on Tuesday.

Dabo Swinney on challenges of facing Georgia Tech offense

“They’ve got really good skill around (King). They’re tough and physical up front. They all really understand their scheme and they take a lot of pride in the execution of it, so they put a lot of strain on you defensively. There’s multiple options on every snap, but they’re going to put it in their best player’s hands. Between their quarterback and (running backs Malachi Hosley and Jamal Haynes), those guys really strain you.

“They’re going to touch the ball early and often in a lot of different ways, whether it’s from the running game, jet sweeps, and then they’ve done a nice job with some guys on the perimeter that they’ve brought in and have the ability to make some big plays, too. Some of those guys didn’t play last week with the nature of their game. They blocked a couple of kicks, so they do a good job of creating some opportunity there. We’ll have to do a really great job with our protection.”

Dabo Swinney on the challenges of facing Georgia Tech’s defense

“Defensively, they’re not giving up a ton of big plays. They do a nice job of just executing their defense, being where they’re supposed to be. They’re active up front. They’re thick and stout up front. The game kind of got away last week, but they had a good opener vs. Colorado to kind of get a good feel for their personnel over there. So it’s a big challenge for us.”

Swinney on the challenges Georgia Tech’s offense presents

“Eye discipline is always critical, regardless of style of play because everybody presents their own challenges, but these guys guys pretty much every snap and every shift there’s a motion. There’s some type of jet and then by nature of just their scheme, it’s quarterback power, quarterback counter with RPOs built into it with what we call slash. Guys coming down the line of scrimmage where they just don’t block people; they control them based on reaction.

“Keep it, pull it, and then there’s not necessarily a pitch player but there is an outlet pass. It’s basically a triple option scheme from spread formations and just different ways to go do it. Then they’ll turn around and bam, they’re hitting you right up the middle with some type of downhill play.

“But it’s all about the quarterback. He makes it go because he’s the decision-maker. It’s hard to make them wrong because he’s equipped to make them right, so you have to win matchups. You’ve got to tackle in space so eye discipline is critical. Certainly the physical matchup is critical, but you’ve also got to do a great job in space because the ball gets into space just by nature of everybody doing their job so you’ve got to have some hard edges. They’re going to challenge you on the perimeter. That’s what they do best. They make you defend the field sideline to sideline, and they’ve got the shot built into it and the play action.”

Swinney on preparing for two quarterbacks against Georgia Tech

“Yeah, the backup, he threw for a ton of yards. He’s a good player. They can both run the offense. Those are things that anytime you see something on tape, two quarterbacks in the game, that puts your antenna up a little bit. We’ve just got to do a great job of taking care of our business, making sure that we communicate well, eyes are in the right place, and that physically everybody does their job. That’s what it comes down to.”

Dabo Swinney on his relationship with Georgia Tech football coach Brent Key

Swinney and Key share a few similarities. Both are from the Birmingham area and played high school football in Alabama, and they both were named interim coaches before later being promoted full-time. Key is in his third season with the Yellow Jackets since taking over for Geoff Collins, who was fired in September 2023.

“Brent’s been great. We’ve spent a lot of time together, talked together a bunch. He’s a Birmingham boy who played at Hewitt-Trussville, I played at Pelham, so we’re both kind of from the same neck of the woods. I just think he’s done a great job. He really loves (Georgia Tech). He played there. It’s important to him, and he’s put his personality into it. They’re a physical football team.

“He’s an offensive line guy. He believes in running the football and they live that out. So I think he’s done a really, really good job, and he’s recruiting well. He’s put a good staff together. I think their staff is excellent and has done an awesome job. You’ve got really good coordinators so I’ve got a lot of respect for Brent. Always fun to be around him. He’s got a good personality and he’s got good perspective.”

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