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Why 'Tyler from Spartanburg' torching Dabo Swinney may have saved Clemson football season
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- Why 'Tyler from Spartanburg' torching Dabo Swinney may have saved Clemson football season
CLEMSON, S.C. – And the game ball from Clemson's victory against Notre Dame on Saturday goes to … Tyler from Spartanburg .
Unified by criticism from the outside and inspired by a renewed sense of determination from the inside, Clemson claimed a 31-23 victory against the 12th-ranked Fighting Irish at Memorial Stadium on a day that began with frost-covered windshields and ended with fans basking in the glow of the Tigers' most meaningful victory since, well, a 34-10 win against Notre Dame in the 2020 ACC Championship Game.
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Perhaps Tyler from Spartanburg, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney's now-famous call-in show contributor who was hypercritical of the coach, his assistants and his team, had a hand in lighting a fire – in the players and coaches as well as the fans.
A game ball may be in order, folks.
For Clemson, Saturday's win injected some semblance of promise in a season gone askew.
For Notre Dame, it was a third defeat in 10 games and could very well serve as a hindrance to the Fighting Irish's hopes of a national championship.
Detect the sarcasm there?
Eight years ago – the last time these two teams tangled here – Clemson outlasted Notre Dame 24-22 in the remnants of a tropical storm, then embarked on the most historic five-year run of success in program history, including five consecutive College Football Playoff berths, four title-game appearances and two national championships.
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"Hopefully this gives us a good boost," Swinney said. "Hopefully we'll look back five years from now and say, 'Man, that Notre Dame game was where the worm turned a little bit.'"
With a pair of overtime defeats and plenty of self-destructive behavior plaguing its efforts, Swinney's team entered Saturday's game in dire need of a turning worm.
The ACC's preseason favorite and a preseason Top 10 team found itself at 4-4 and perched on the precipice of a season that was headed nowhere fast.
Swinney and the Tigers have posted just one losing season – non-affectionately known as The Debacle of 2010 – and appeared destined to perhaps finish this season on another downward spiral.
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"Coming into this season I never would have dreamed we'd be 4-4 at some point," quarterback Cade Klubnik said. "My vision was to win the national championship. We can't do that this year, but we're still going to give it all we have every single week."
It's amazing how one good afternoon of football can alter one's psyche.
Now the Tigers are looking at their remaining three games – at home against Georgia Tech and North Carolina and on the road at South Carolina – with an optimistic eye.
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A 13thconsecutive season with 10 or more victories is no longer within reach, but by winning out in the regular season and tacking on a bowl victory, the final ledger would show a team with a 9-4 record, an impressive rebound and plenty of feel-good momentum heading into the offseason.
And they may have a ticked-off caller from Spartanburg to thank for it all.
Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at skeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @ScottKeepfer
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Tyler from Spartanburg torching Dabo Swinney saves Clemson football
