CLEMSON — Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was asked following the Tigers’ 45-10 victory why defensive end Jahiem Lawson was still in the game in the third quarter when all the other starters were taken out.

With 10:47 to play in the third quarter, Lawson was injured on a third-and-7 play from the Furman 23-yard line. Lawson was looked at for several minutes by team trainers before he was helped off the field and carried over to the injury tent.

“I think it is just a sprained ankle. We will just have to see where he is. He will be day-to-day,” Swinney said.

Swinney explained why Lawson was still in the game after all the other starters were taken out.

“It was a package. I thought we had everybody out, honestly,” Swinney said. “That is a package where he is inside and honestly, I did not see it. That is on me. That is a hundred percent (on me). He should not have been in there.

“If I had really seen it, I should have called timeout and got him out of the game.”

Lawson’s injury appeared to be a lower leg injury, and he was later seen walking with crutches towards the locker room.

Lawson was credited with a quarterback hurry in Saturday’s game. He entered Saturday’s game with 23 total tackles, six tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, three pass breakups and three quarterback pressures across 10 games this season.

The 6-foot-2, 255-pounder came into the 2025 campaign with 31 tackles (4.5 for loss), one sack, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery over 19 games (four starts) from 2022-24.

Clemson (6-5) returns to action next Saturday against rival South Carolina. Kickoff at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia is set for noon on SEC Network.