Dabo Swinney, Brian Kelly With Fiery Exchange After Saturday Night's Showdown

The Clemson Tigers fell to LSU behind a lackluster offensive performance Saturday night, and the two head coaches indirectly exchanged interesting dialogue on the matchup in their respective press conferences earlier this week.

Clemson’s Dabo Swinney complimented LSU’s loaded roster and its performance, but made an unusual analogy regarding his squad’s 17-10 loss to open the season.

“That is a physical group. That is a very smart quarterback, and that is a (running) back,” Swinney said, praising LSU’s offensive weapons. “They’re going to be a problem, and they have some explosive dudes. It was a hell of a game… Down to the last play. Right out of the gate.”

“It was like getting a final exam day one of class. They made a 65 [percent], we made a 58 [percent],” Swinney added. “Neither one of us were great.”

Clemson's Dabo Swinney compares the LSU loss to a "final exam on day one of class."

"They made a 65, we made a 58. Neither one of us were great."

(📽️ @ClemsonTigerNet) pic.twitter.com/T1b5xFPu5X
— Bryce Koon (@bryce_koon) September 2, 2025

LSU head coach Brian Kelly was asked about Swinney’s comments later on Tuesday afternoon, and he did not hesitate to speak out about his assigned grade.

“We dominated them in the second half. So, he’s either a really good grader – giving himself a 58, or he’s a really hard grader on us. Or he didn’t see the second half, which that might have been the case – he might not have wanted to see the second half,” Kelly said.

Brian Kelly’s response ⬇️ https://t.co/NyEVHnpoD2 pic.twitter.com/a3g2xEqmfX
— Bryce Koon (@bryce_koon) September 2, 2025

Excluding Clemson’s 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to take a 10-3 lead midway through the second quarter, both squads’ elite defenses made their presence known in the first half. Clemson forced two LSU turnovers in the opening two periods, including a crucial fumble deep in Clemson territory with just nine seconds remaining until halftime.

As Kelly alluded to, despite trailing by a touchdown at the break, LSU controlled the game for the final two quarters. The Bayou Bengals held Clemson’s dangerous offense scoreless while posting two touchdowns of their own in the second half and consistently pressured Klubnik, ultimately lifting them to a massive top-10 victory in Death Valley.

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and Clemson’s Cade Klubnik had similar stat lines, but Nussmeier undoubtedly stood out when it mattered most. Nussmeier went 28-for-38 passing with 232 yards and one touchdown, while Klubnik notched 19-for-38 through the air and one interception.

A prominent aspect of the matchup was Clemson’s stagnant and one-dimensional offense, courtesy of LSU’s dominance on the line of scrimmage. LSU’s stout defensive front only allowed 31 rushing yards on 20 carries, and with Clemson’s top wide receiver, Antonio Williams, exiting the game in the first quarter with an injury, the Tigers struggled heavily to produce any sort of offense.

Despite comments and storylines off the field, Clemson has plenty to clean up before the Tigers enter conference play and the heart of their season. Swinney and company face the Troy Trojans on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. EST on ACC Network, hoping to refine and tune up areas of weakness before taking on a solid Georgia Tech squad next weekend.