Clemson rallied to beat Kentucky 38-35 in Friday’s Gator Bowl, but the start of the second half at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville was far from ideal for the 22nd-ranked Tigers.
Trailing by four points at halftime, Clemson quickly saw that deficit swell to double digits after Kentucky’s Barion Brown scored on a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown to begin the third quarter and put the Wildcats ahead 21-10.
During his postgame press conference, Dabo Swinney was asked what he told his players after that kick return.
Suffice it to say, the Tigers’ head coach was not happy.
“I’m not sure I can repeat that right here,” Swinney said in response to the aforementioned question.
“I was pissed. It was bad. We thought there was a hold, but it doesn’t matter. You’ve got 11 guys on the field, and I was really disappointed. We knew going in – I think they were third in the country in kick return – and ironically, we ended up having a big one ourself that set up a difference in the game. But that was very disappointing.”
As Swinney mentioned, Kentucky entered the game ranked third nationally in kickoff return average (26.95). Swinney also pointed out that Clemson’s Robert Gunn – who was named as a College Football Network Freshman All-American as a kickoff specialist this year – rarely does not boot the ball into the end zone for a touchback, and thus the Tigers typically don’t have to cover many kicks.
Still, Swinney was highly frustrated by his kickoff unit allowing Brown to run one back to start the second half.
“Sometimes when you have a kicker – Robert Gunn made All-American this year as a kickoff guy, and sometimes when you have a guy like that and, I don’t know, 90 percent of them are not returned, maybe more – sometimes guys can let off a little bit and not cover with quite the intensity they would if they know it’s coming out,” Swinney said, “and that’s our job as coaches to instill that. But that was incredibly disappointing.”
Fortunately for Clemson, Kentucky (7-6) committed turnovers on three straight possessions in the fourth quarter, helping the Tigers (9-4) overcome the 11-point deficit and ultimately emerge victorious after a wild, back-and-forth final frame.
“It’s amazing to win the game,” Swinney said. “You give up a kick return, you usually get beat, and just a tough way to start the third quarter. Really disappointed in that, but we overcame it.”
Cade Klubnik led a historic drive to seal the victory over Kentucky in the Gator Bowl in the final seconds. Get your highway 2 sign today while supplies last!