There's been a lot of debate recently about Dabo Swinney's future at Clemson. After a 7-6 collapse last year, the program's lowest win total since 2010, the Tigers opened this season with a 51-10 blowout loss to LSU. The game was in Baton Rouge, and Lane Kiffin was equally desperate for a win, but it wasn't a good look for Swinney regardless.
Since then, though, Clemson has rattled off three straight wins, including a convincing 24-10 victory at Cal on Friday night. The Golden Bears were coming off two straight wins of their own under new head coach Tosh Lupoi, and the Tigers only entered as narrow 1.5-point favorites. That's the type of win that can shift momentum entirely for a program.
Speaking after the game, Swinney sent a strong message about his team. "We were a tough football team, and that's probably my biggest objective coming into this season," Swinney said. "I felt like we needed to be a tougher team, especially when it comes to running the football." More news: Lincoln Riley Under Fire as ESPN Puts His USC Job on the Line vs Oregon More news: Josh Heupel’s Bold Faizon Brandon Praise Has Tennessee Fans Fired Up While the defense has looked far better in recent weeks, sophomore running back Gideon Davidson has broken out and is starting to look like one of the top backs in the country.
Through five games, he already sits 10th in the nation with 346 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns on just 59 carries, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. And his workload continues to climb. Two weeks ago, in Clemson's dramatic 28-20 win over UNC, Davidson totaled 105 rushing yards and one touchdown on 16 carries.
Last night at Cal, he exploded for 159 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. The recipe is clearly working for Swinney and the Tigers, who still have T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco Jr., widely considered two of the best wide receivers in college football.
Clemson seems to be clicking at the perfect time, with a daunting ACC clash against No. 6 Miami set for next weekend at Memorial Stadium in South Carolina. "It may be the best team in the country," Swinney said about the Hurricanes. "We'll have to play by far our best game to have a chance to beat those guys." More news: Pete Golding, Ole Miss Put on Upset Alert 1 Week After Taking Down LSU
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