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Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney warns line after 'awful' field-goal protection at FSU
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- Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney warns line after 'awful' field-goal protection at FSU
CLEMSON — Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney was disappointed in his team's field goal protection on Saturday.
The No. 14 Tigers (4-1, 3-0 ACC) handled Florida State (1-5, 1-4), winning 29-13 at Doak Campbell Stadium. Swinney earned his 174th win to have the most while leading an ACC program in conference history. Still, Clemson's 16-point victory could have been more if FSU didn't block two of freshman Nolan Hauser 's field goals.
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"Just absolutely horrible on the left side at tight end and wing," Swinney said. "Awful, it's that simple. Absolutely did not do what we coached them to do, so that's on us as coaches.
"Put that on tape, better get ready. So, really disappointed in our technique, fundamentals there. It's really poor."
The first block came on a 38-yard kick in the second quarter. T.J. Parker was beaten on the left edge by FSU defender Edwin Joseph, who deflected the attempt. Vic Burley was shoved to the ground, allowing heavy pressure on the left of line.
The second happened on a 25-yard kick in the third quarter. Cade Denhoff and Chapman Pendergrass , both lined up on the left side, gave up pressure. Two FSU defenders broke through Denhoff's reach, and Pendergrass was pushed back, which allowed Seminole defensive lineman Patrick Payton to deflect the kick.
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This marked the second consecutive game in which a Clemson kick was blocked. Hauser's extra-point attempt against Stanford in the fourth quarter was deflected. Swinney attributed that block to Hauser's kicking the ball too low.
Hauser is 10-for-12 on field goal attempts and 23-for-24 on extra points this season. He converted five field goals Saturday from 26, 38, 25, 31 and 24 yards. It was the most field goals by a Clemson kicker since Chandler Catanzaro in 2011. Hauser could have set Clemson's record for field goals in a game with seven.
MORE: How Clemson football gave Dabo Swinney his ACC-record 174th win, passing Bobby Bowden, at FSU
"I just hate that for him, but he's a freshman," Swinney said. "I'm not gonna be greedy. Y'all all were around here last year with our kicking woes, so to see a kid go out there and make five field goals on the road, man, I'm super proud of him."
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Last season, Robert Gunn III missed three field goals and an extra point in Clemson's first three games, which led to Swinney bringing on former walk-on Jonathan Weitz to replace him. Gunn and Hauser battled for the starting kicker job in the preseason, and the freshman won the battle.
Swinney's looks to fix these protection issues when it faces Wake Forest (2-3, 1-1) on Saturday (noon ET, ESPN) at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Whom Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney blames for field goal woes
