Dabo Was Right: Clemson Gets No Respect

Maybe Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was correct when he railed against the media's perception of his Tigers. Maybe he had every right to be upset with the disrespect being paid to his undefeated Tigers, who have won 28 straight games and are putting up record numbers on offense and boasting the best defense in the nation.

Maybe Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was correct when he railed against the media's perception of his Tigers. Maybe he had every right to be upset with the disrespect being paid to his undefeated Tigers, who have won 28 straight games and are putting up record numbers on offense and boasting the best defense in the nation.

"You come into this season, it seems like every week I even had to answer a question," Swinney said. "When the First Take show was here, a lot of people think you go undefeated, you shouldn't be in the thing. It's just ludicrous. That's kind of what's been out there all year, as opposed to focusing on who we are as a team.

"I'm not going to let anybody diminish what's been accomplished by our program, first of all, because it's incredible. Again, even going back to ACC Media Days, I made the comment then: we used to couldn't win in the post season because we didn't play people, now we only win because we don't play people. It's just the same old storyline, people just flip it around to whatever their agenda they want to have."

Swinney was roasted over the ensuing two weeks by national media personalities saying that he was acting like a child.

"I think Dabo Swinney is the most annoying winner in all of sports," Paul Finebaum said. "The guy can't keep his trap shut. Someone just give him a pacifier, send him to timeout, and we will check in on him on Dec. 28 when he finally plays a legitimate team during this entire college football season."

However, Finebaum was not the only member of the media to take a shot at Swinney. 

“I think Dabo should tone it down," ACC Network's Jon Beason said. "I think at the end of the day, where they are at, which is No. 3, to me, is the ceiling. He is going to compare them to beating Texas A&M and South Carolina, the two games he has talked about at length to compare himself to (Ohio State’s and LSU’s wins). Where they are now is where they need to be.

“So, Dabo, chill out. I know you want to keep your guys hyped up but that No. 3 is perfect where you are.”

And Finebaum doubled-down on his comments: "My advice to him would be do the talking on the field. I know that sounds like a cliche we learned maybe in the fifth grade. But it's a bad look when a head coach who has two national championships, especially over Nick Saban, comes off like a whiner ... He sounds like a kid at kindergarten recess. And that's what I said what I did, and he responded, and I'd say we're even."

But Monday proved that Swinney has been right.

Monday The Associated Press released their All-American team, and the Tigers were snubbed.

The Tigers had one first-team selection — linebacker Isaiah Simmons. Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence was no where to be found — not on the first-team, second-team or even the third-team, where Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts got the nod. 

"People still talk about Trevor (Lawrence) throwing a few interceptions early in the season. They don't talk about all of the touchdowns," Swinney said. "Trevor, if they thought he was good last year, he's so much better than he was last year — at any point. He's twice the quarterback than he was at the national championship game when everybody was crowning him the king of football. He's twice the quarterback, right now today, and people have missed it because there has just been this rhetoric all year long."

He is not incorrect.

In fact, in Lawrence's last six games he has the highest quarterback rating of any quarterback in the nation, has thrown 20 touchdown passes and no interceptions. On the season, Lawrence has thrown for more touchdowns than Hurts (34-32), has 10 more completions and has only one more interception than Hurts (7-6). 

But it is not only Lawrence who was snubbed from All-American honors. No Clemson wide receiver, including Tee Higgins, were named to the first, second or third team.

Higgins amassed 182 yards receiving and three touchdown receptions (on nine catches) set new ACC Championship Game marks. Higgins, voted the game MVP, surpassed the previous receiving yardage mark of 143 yards set by Virginia Tech’s Danny Coale in 2010. 

"We've had a lot of great wideouts come in here, and I think he had nine (catches) for 182 (yards), and the record, career-record 27 touchdowns in his career, and that ties (Hopkins) and Sammy (Watkins)," Swinney said. "Those guys were pretty good, so just pretty amazing.

"I told him I'm not giving him a game ball. The next touchdown he gets, he's going to get a game ball. He'll stand alone. So I'm just really proud of Tee and what he's done,"

But even Higgins not making an All-American team was the greatest travesty. That honor belongs to running back Travis Etienne.

In the same week that he was named the nation's top running back by Pro Football Focus, Etienne was left off the AP's highest honor-relegated to second-team running back.

Etienne has rushed 182 times for 1,500 yards with 17 rushing touchdowns.

Here’s a look at how those projected total would compare to the last five running backs to win the Heisman Trophy: Alabama’s Derrick Henry (2015), Alabama’s Mark Ingram (2009), USC’s Reggie Bush (2005, later vacated), Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne (1999) and Texas’ Ricky Williams (1998).

"Etienne set the record from us at PFF with the highest percentage of missed tackles forced per carry by breaking a tackle on 46% of his attempts in 2019,” Pro Football Focus' Cam Mellor said after the site named Etienne the nation's top running back. “He totaled 84 missed tackles forced on just 181 carries, ranking first among running backs in total missed tackles forced on the ground but just 45th in total attempts this season. He churned out a first down or a touchdown on his carries 37% of the time while he broke off first contact just the same, earning 973 of his 1,492 total rushing yards after contact.”

Etienne is currently second on the all-time list for rushing yards in Clemson football history, just behind Raymond Priester (3,966 yards). For those counting, Etienne (3,924 yards) is just 43 yards away from breaking the program record.

“If there’s a running back award and Travis Etienne isn’t in the finals of it, I mean, what a joke,” head coach Dabo Swinney said. “Really. You just wait and see who gets drafted first and the type of career he’s going to have. It’s unbelievable. Travis is like .2 yards off all-time in the history of college football in yards per carry for a career. He leads the country in yards per carry. He’s got 65 less carries than everybody else who is in the top [six in rushing yardage] up there. Sixty-five. That’s like four games of carries for Travis. Can you imagine what he would do with four more games?”

“This guy is off-the-charts special.”