Do you remember how Dabo Swinney got emotional after the Clemson Tigers’ 21-34 loss against the Syracuse Orange? Two months later, Swinney had tears in his eyes again. But this time it was happy tears. Clemson sealed a nail-biting 19-20 win over the Louisville Cardinals. Swinney no longer chose a low-key way to praise his boys and came up with a heartfelt speech for them. 

On November 14, Awful Announcing caught hold of Swinney right on the gridiron minutes after their victory. His face all red and flushed, the head coach said, “That’s the freaking heart of a champion right there…we got a h- – – of a great group of young people right there that just fought their b- – – – off, gave every ounce of everything they had. A lot of people quit on them. There ain’t no quitting that bunch, and there ain’t no quitting me. Go Tigers!” The fans will have to see the highlights; otherwise, it will be hard to believe what happened at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium.

Adam Randall powered Clemson to an upset over the Cardinals. Swinney’s RB rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner with 7:16 left on the clock. The Tigers survived a chaotic finish, with a bad punt snap and a missed 46-yard field goal by Nick Keller with 1:33 remaining. Earlier, Cooper Ranvier had also missed a 50-yard attempt for Louisville and botched an extra point in the second quarter, which ultimately fueled Clemson’s slim victory.

The game’s momentum swung on a few key plays. Louisville first took the lead after a 31-yard punt from Jack Smith set up a short field, leading to Miller Moss plunging in from the 1-yard line to make it 9-3, though the extra point bounced off the upright. Swinney’s squad answered quickly after Avieon Terrell forced and recovered a fumble at the Louisville 25, and Randall dashed in on the very next play to give the Tigers a 10-9 edge with 3:17 left in the second quarter.

Swinney’s quarterback Cade Klubnik drove Clemson deep into Louisville territory, highlighted by Antonio Williams’ one-handed grab that dragged a defender to the 1-yard line. But back-to-back fumbles squandered the opportunity. Even after Louisville’s missed field goal, Clemson’s conservative offense struggled, gaining just four yards on a pass, zero on the run, and seeing a third-and-6 pass dropped by Olsen Patt-Henry. Yet, despite the miscues and chaos, the Tigers somehow found a way to finish on top. While Clemson’s luck favored, troubles still loom in the ACC conference. 

Dabo Swinney’s squad revved up the chaos meter in the ACC

Swinney and his boys just complicated the conference picture. Before Friday, November 14 night, Louisville had two conference losses and was tied with Mario Cristobal’s Miami Hurricanes. Clemson’s upset now hands Louisville their 3rd ACC loss, which effectively knocks them out of contention for the ACC title. So, the Cardinals are no longer in the mix for the conference championship, even though they had been in a strong position before the Clemson game.

As Joe DeLeone shared on The Ruffino & Joe Show, “The teams that are currently sitting at the top of the ACC are Georgia Tech, Virginia, Pitts, SMU, Duke, Louisville, Miami…Miami plays NC State, Virginia Tech, and Pitt.” As far as Swinney’s boys push for Louisville to move out the door is concerned, the calculation looks simple. 

However, the Miami Hurricanes, ranked 15th in the second CFP rankings for 2025, are now the highest-ranked ACC team. The conference’s top tier is a five-team logjam of one-loss contenders, featuring Georgia Tech, Virginia, Pitt, SMU, and Duke. However, Clemson sits way back at 4-5, which won’t cut it for the CFP. But so what? 

Dabo Swinney’s heart is full now. Tigers avoided a seventh straight home loss to a Power Conference team and served cold revenge to Louisville for 2024’s 33-21 loss.