2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl Was Just The Next Step For Clemson

Dabo Swinney says bowl win over LSU kept Clemson on pace for unprecedented run

There are certain phrases that bring up fond memories for Clemson fans as soon as they are heard, from “The Catch” and “The Catch II” to “First-and-35” and “Fourth-and-16.”

Ask most any Tiger football fan and they’ll tell you exactly which games and players correlate to each phrase. While the first three all came against South Carolina, the latter occurred in the 2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl against LSU.

Tajh Boyd and the Clemson offense perfectly executed a game winning drive in the final moments of the fourth quarter en route to a Chandler Catanzaro’s 37-yard field goal as time expired for the 25-24 triumph.

The drive was highlighted by a crucial 4-and-16 conversion when Boyd connected with a sliding Deandre Hopkins for a 26-yard gain to keep Clemson’s hopes alive in the Georgia Dome.

As far as milestone wins in the pre-national championship Dabo Swinney era, the victory over LSU is hard to top.

 Clemson had to weather the storm early after a Sammy Watkins fumble on the Tigers' opening drive gave way to great field position and an easy LSU touchdown. To make matters worse, Watkins injured his ankle on the play and never returned to the game.

Perhaps a blessing in disguise in retrospect as Hopkins played a whale of a game. Clemson clawed its way to victory in what Swinney called a “landmark win.” Hard to discredit the momentum and confidence it provided the program as the Tigers have posted an incredible 90-10 record since that thrilling evening in Atlanta.

When asked about the importance of that monumental, “Tombstone” win over Les Miles’ LSU squad, Swinney said it was a win that helped the program move forward.

“It was the next step," Swinney said. "The first step was my first team in 2009 winning the division. I always tell guys, you can't win five until you win four. You can't win four until you win three. You've got to take the steps. And I think so many people, so many programs, they try to take a shortcut. There's no elevator. You've got to take the steps. And that's a grind.”

While one could point to several other games along the way that were huge for Clemson in its journey to elite status, Swinney was quick to acknowledge the importance of a divisional title over a decade ago. Although Clemson suffered a 39-34 heartbreaker to Georgia Tech in the ACC title game that season, the seed was planted. The Tigers felt like they belonged and grew hungrier for a championship of their own.

“2009 was the first step because we needed to win a division, and my first year we won a division," Swinney said. "We played for the ACC Championship, but got beat. But that was the first step.”

The road to success wasn’t a smooth one or a direct path. It’s often filled with detours, dead ends and wrecks. Clemson enjoyed some early success under Swinney but had to endure some unplanned off-roading adventures along the way as well.

“The next step was learning how to handle adversity,” Swinney said. “In 2010, we lost five games by six points or less, two of them in overtime, one of them to the national champions at Auburn in overtime. We learned how to handle adversity and our culture was taking root.”

From there, another large step was taken the following season as Clemson won its first ACC crown in 20 years. But another dose of reality was waiting to slap the Tigers in the face after a program-changing win over the Hokies in Charlotte with a humbling loss to West Virginia in the Orange Bowl.

“2011 was the next step because we needed to win an ACC Championship. We hadn't done it in 20 years. So we won the ACC title and 10 games for the first time in 20 years. And then we got our butts kicked in the Orange Bowl,” he said.

But Swinney didn’t allow the worst bowl game loss in college football history (at the time) define his team or the plans for his program in the big picture. The Tigers went right back to work and took that next step the following season in 2012.

“We came back and we won 11 games. So now consistency, back-to-back 10-plus win seasons, and now we get back to a big bowl and we beat LSU — a team that was way better than us. That 2012 LSU defense might be the best defense I've ever seen,” Swinney said.

The Tigers’ head coach said that win set up the following season’s Orange Bowl victory Ohio State — the scene of Clemson’s 70-33 massacre to the hands of West Virginia. Clemson achieved redemption and earned the program’s first BCS bowl win.

The upward trend continued the next fall as Clemson won 10 games while snapping a five-game skid to South Carolina and defeated Oklahoma in the Russell Athletic Bowl.

“Then in 2015, we're in the National Championship and got beat. In 2016 we're back, we win it. 2017 we're in New Orleans, kind of fat and happy as the defending champions and we played like crap," Swinney said. "They punched us in the mouth, all night. And they were a better team. But then to come back in 2018 and win it all again, it’s just been a step along the way for us.”