Dabo Swinney: ‘There’s no doubt that we will be back’ in title game

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said after his team’s 45–40 loss to Alabama in Monday’s national championship game that the Tigers will be back in the College Football Playoff final.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said after his team’s 45–40 loss to Alabama in Monday’s national championship game that the Tigers will be back in the College Football Playoff final.

“There’s no doubt that we will be back,” Swinney said. “It won’t be 34 years before we’re going to be back, I promise you that.”

Alabama’s win on Monday gave the Crimson Tide their 16th national title, and left Clemson just short of a perfect 15–0 season.

“Our team is built to sustain success,” Swinney continued. “We’ve got the right ingredients from a toughness standpoint, talent standpoint, and then just, again, the will to win and the culture that we have in our program.”

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For Clemson, quarterback Deshaun Watson finished the game 30 for 47 passing for 405 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.

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“We’ll learn from this, we’ll grow from it, and I appreciate our fans,” Swinney added. “I thought that the crowd was amazing tonight. I really, really appreciate our fans. My heart breaks for them, too, because, like I said, it’s been a long time since we’ve stood on top of the mountain, but we’re not quite there, but we can see it, and we’ll get there.”

Clemson’s only national title came in 1981.

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