Dabo Swinney's Message to Clemson: 'We Finish'

The ROY bus was gassed up and full of Clemson Tigers who expected a battle of epic proportions Saturday night, and they got one.

An instant classic in the Valley of the Sun led to a 29-23 victory for the Tigers over the Ohio State Buckeyes and set up a date with LSU in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

With the Tigers trailing most of the night, there was doubt that Clemson could come back against one of the top programs in the country. After all, this is the same Clemson team that was somewhat overlooked because it played such a "cupcake schedule" filled with opponents from a weak ACC.

However, even when his team was down 16-0, head coach Dabo Swinney never doubted that his Tigers would ultimately leave Glendale, Arizona, with their 29th straight victory and an opportunity to defend their national championship. He understood that his team, while young, is built for moments just like Saturday night.

"It is just the DNA. It is our program," Swinney said. "It's not just this season. That's just how we're built. One of the things I told them at the half, I thought we took their best punch. I don't think we could have played worse, but we took their best punch, and it was 16-14."

Clemson overcame a 16-0 first-half deficit to earn the victory. The 16-point comeback was Clemson's fifth-largest comeback in school history—a 28-point comeback against Virginia (1992), an 18-point comeback against Maryland (2011) and 17-point comebacks against Virginia (1966) and North Carolina (2000)—and the second-largest under Swinney.

Before Saturday, Clemson hadn't trailed after halftime since its win over Syracuse on Sept. 29, 2018.

In fact, the victory was the Tigers' second one-possession victory of the season. They are now 26-4 (.862) in one-score games since 2011, the best mark in the country. Ohio State's .735 winning percentage in one-score games ranked second in that span.

"My message to them at the halftime was: We have to find a way to get the lead in the third quarter, because when we take a lead in the fourth quarter, we finish," Swinney said. "I think we're now 10-2 when we take a lead in the fourth quarter, 10-2. So that's not just this year. That's just who we are. It is just what we do. We finish.

"That's the mindset and the DNA of our program. So that's everything—your offseason, spring practice and how you meet. That's your camp. It is how you practice every week, all of that stuff. It is your staff, the leadership and the development of leadership on your team. It is culture. That's what it is. It was awesome to see."