Foreshadowing ahead of Monday? Dabo Swinney recalls LSU team Clemson faced in 2012
By Keith Farner
Published:
Monday night’s national championship is not the first time Dabo Swinney and Clemson have faced LSU, and Swinney still remembers the Chick-fil-A Bowl from 2012.
Clemson won that game, 25-24, and it’s somewhat credited for being the kick-start for Clemson to ignite the current run it’s on in college football.
“If I remember correctly, they threw two passes on that last series, so they came out of the gate, first down, completed it, and then they had back-to-back play actions, incomplete on one and we batted one down,” Swinney said at a Sunday press conference. “That gave us a chance to — because I was able to save time-outs and that gave us a chance to get the ball back and go win the game. Ironic that you bring that up.”
Swinney also said what many college football observers have long known. LSU never seems to have a shortage of talent.
“But listen, what I remember about that team is that’s as talented a team, especially defensively, that I’ve ever been around,” he said. “I mean, I’ve never — I think the entire two deep and maybe even into the three deep went to the NFL. We were very fortunate to win that game. I mean, we just made just enough plays. Our best player got hurt in the second game. But what they’re doing offensively now is obviously way, way, way different. But they were a physical football team, and they still are, but yet now they’re distributing the ball to so many different guys. I mean, everybody touches the ball, and it’s made them fun. It’s made them exciting. You can see they play with great confidence and energy, and then this quarterback is special.”
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
