Following 12th-seeded Clemson’s 38-24 loss at No. 5 seed Texas in the College Football Playoff First Round Game on Saturday, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was asked if any staff changes could be on the table, considering the Tigers’ defensive struggles over the course of this season.
“Aw man, we’re not worried about any of that stuff,” Swinney said during his postgame press conference. “We had a great year, we won the championship. We’ve got to improve in all areas. We’ve got an excellent staff. All those guys work really hard and well together.
“We’ve got to improve everywhere if we want to get to the top. We were good enough to get to the playoff, good enough to win the league. Not good enough to win it all. So, we’ve got to get better in all areas.”
Clemson’s defense allowed 494 total yards against Texas, including 292 rushing yards. The Longhorns racked up 27 first downs and averaged 6.9 yards per play, including 6.1 yards per rush.
The Tigers entered Saturday’s game tied for 42nd nationally in scoring defense (22.3 points per game allowed), 65th nationally in total defense (364.9 yards per game allowed), 74th nationally in rushing defense (150.5 rushing yards per game allowed) and 61st nationally in passing defense (214.4 passing yards per game allowed).