Dabo Swinney Breaks Silence on Clemson’s Offensive Collapse Against LSU — What He Revealed Will Shock Fans

So here we are, staring down the barrel of a 2025 Clemson football season that kicked off with more buzz than a hive in July — yet, ended Week 1 with a lump in the throat as the No. 4 Tigers fell 17-10 at home to No. 9 LSU. Talk about a jolt. Clemson’s defense strutted their stuff, true — a brick wall most would admire — but the offense? It nearly ghosted all night long except for that lone touchdown before halftime. The running game? Flatlined. Quarterback Cade Klubnik, beset by the loss of his top wideout Antonio Williams to a pesky hamstring, never quite found his groove, dodging LSU’s pass rush like a startled cat. What gives? Head coach Dabo Swinney didn’t mince words when he said the team, especially offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, needs to sharpen their edge and, frankly, “do a better job” putting Klubnik in positions to succeed. It was a gritty showing to be sure, but if you ask me—are we witnessing just a hiccup, or is something shakier under the hood? Clemson’s path forward looks a bit brighter with an easier stretch ahead, but those early stumbles sure leave you wondering. Ready to dig deeper? LEARN MORE

A 2025 season that started with a lot of hype didn’t get off to a great start for Clemson football, as the No. 4-ranked Tigers lost to No. 9 LSU 17-10 at home in one of the most highly-anticipated matchups of Week 1.

The Clemson defense showed why it is one of the most feared units in college football, but the offense sputtered throughout the night with the exception of one first-half touchdown. The running game was completely nonexistent and star quarterback Cade Klubnik never got into a rhythm in the passing game, especially after losing star wide receiver Antonio Williams to a hamstring injury in the first half.

Head coach Dabo Swinney certainly knows that Clemson must improve on that side of the ball going forward if it wants to live up to its lofty expectations this fall. On Tuesday, he talked about helping Klubnik out as one of the areas that the Tigers, and specifically offensive coordinator Garrett Riley must get better in, according to Jason Priester of The Clemson Insider.

“We didn’t do a great job of helping (Klubnik),” Swinney said. “That is an area that Garrett’s got to do a better job. Got to help him. Never tried. I got to do a better job to make sure it gets done.”

Clemson didn’t help Klubnik much, especially on the ground. The Tigers ran for just 31 yards on 20 carries and stopped even trying to get anything done on the ground in the second half. However, the veteran quarterback didn’t help himself either, finishing just 19-for-38 passing with 230 yards and an interception.

Part of that comes from a lack of on-schedule throws. Klubnik consistently hit the top of his drop with nobody to throw the ball to and was forced to scramble around in the backfield with the athletic LSU pass rush chasing him around. Getting that fixed will help the passing game get off the ground in the coming weeks.

Clemson does have an easier part of the schedule coming, with a game against Troy on Saturday as Swinney and company look for their first win of the season. Following that, ACC play will get underway with a tricky clash against Georgia Tech.

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