It was 0:11 in the second quarter, and Dabo Swinney absolutely lost it. Clemson was finally closing off the 14-point deficit during the last minutes of the first half. Running back Adam Randall ran a two-yard touchdown, with the Tigers leading the scoreboard, 28-21. However, Duke wasn’t done yet.

In the last 20 seconds on 1st & 10, Duke’s Darian Mensah threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Que-Sean Brown, closing in on the seven-point lead by Clemson. The Tigers had scored three touchdowns to erase Duke’s domination on the field, but with the defense failing to contain Brown’s TD, Dabo Swinney lost his cool.

As CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford described it, “OMG, Dabo Swinney went nuclear on Clemson’s secondary after the last TD from Duke.… 👀 🔥.” Bleeding into the halftime, it was a tie, 28-28.

Dabo Swinney was seen shouting at his players on the sidelines as the defense failed to stop Brown’s touchdown run towards the end zone. Even the broadcasters were stunned. “Dabo Swinney’s mood at the Clemson bench is drastically different than it was 2-3 minutes ago…and Dabo has fired up.

They were able to hear Swinney’s voice from the sidelines all the way up to their booth, saying, ‘We can’t have that,” to the defense. To the Tigers’ fans, they could feel Swinney’s anger and frustration. In the first quarter alone, the defense struggled to stop wide receiver Cooper Barkate. It was 5:46 on the clock, 2nd & 8, when Mensah threw a dart to Barkate, who rushed the remaining yards to the end zone without resistance, recording a 77-yard touchdown.

At the ACC game at the Memorial Stadium, you can feel the anticipation building. Both the teams were going cutthroat, erasing each other’s lead. By 10:40 into the fourth quarter, the scoreboard read 38-38. Cade Klubnik’s offense was ramping up pace, but the defense appeared sluggish.

One X user wrote, “I mean, do you blame him? His secondary is horrible.” Post week 9, according to Max Olson’s defensive metric, Clemson had a 64.9% stop rate, and they have struggled to stop the Devils, who are No. 4 in passing offense.

Clemson Defense costs Cade Klubnik

In the third quarter, Clemson scored a one-yard TD, tilting the scales in their favor. However, Duke was quick to take charge. Right after Dabo Swinney’s outburst at his players, the Devils scored again, with Sahmir Hagans stealing the spotlight.

Kicker Robert Gunn kicked 65 yards straight to the end zone. Hagens, playing from two yards deep, caught the ball, launching himself in a swift run, completing a 100-yard rush straight into the end zone. Again tying the scoreboard, 35-35.

After Hagans’ TD, Clemson scored a 22-yard field goal, but Duke closed the gap again with a 37-yard field goal. On Clemson’s next possession, Klubnik threw a 75-yard pass to Moore. But the Devils hadn’t called it a day yet. With 40 seconds left on the clock, Duke registered a 3-yard TD rush, followed by a two-point conversion, securing the victory with 46-45.

Clemson fans had nearly tasted victory, but a one-point loss added another defeat in the 2025 season. Now, the Tigers are 3-5.