Clemson coach Dabo Swinney sees improved program

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney sees an improved group of Tigers, no matter what it looks like to those on the outside.

Swinney and Clemson are 2-2 after falling to No. 11 TCU 14-10 on Saturday. It was the second time this season the Tigers allowed a ranked opponent to overcome fourth-quarter deficit — and seemed to continue a pattern of puzzling defeats the past few years that led to coach Tommy Bowden's departure in 2008.

"The past is a bucket of ashes," Swinney said Tuesday. "Bottom line."

Swinney says his players have shown a fire and passion throughout the season that will help them achieve big things. They will not, Swinney said, be hamstrung by problems of the past.

"This is a different football team. This is a different Clemson. This is a new staff," said Swinney, his frustration evident. "There's a lot of newness here."

Still, it's hard to ignore comparisons to the past.

In 2005, Clemson opened 2-0 then lost its next three games to fall out of the national scene. Two years ago, the Tigers started 4-0 then fell from the rankings after defeats to Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. And then there's last year when unlikely defeats to Maryland and Wake Forest left Clemson 3-3 and forced Bowden to step away.

The Tigers showed some similar quirks in their two losses this season.

Clemson fell behind 24-0 to Georgia Tech as the team got outcoached so badly that Swinney apologized to his players. The Tigers rallied for 27 straight points before losing on two fourth-quarter field goals.

Last Saturday, the Tigers again lost a fourth-quarter lead. They got inside TCU's 20 twice after that but could come up with points.

Left guard Thomas Austin has dealt with maddening defeats since his first-year on campus in 2005. He says this year's losses have a more promising edge than the others.

"We were a team that was soul-searching last year," Austin said. "trying to figure out our identity."

This season, players' are hanging tough and giving their all.

"There's no finger-pointing, nobody's looking at blaming anyone, stuff that probably happened in the past," senior tailback C.J. Spiller said.

Swinney's endeared himself to many fans with his enthusiasm and catchy, "all in" mottos. He accepts that critics come with the job description.

Swinney listened as angry supporters blistered his former boss, Bowden, for any and all Tiger breakdowns. Swinney understands as a Clemson assistant since 2003, he'll get tagged with the sins of the past by those who hoped for a complete break from the Bowden era.

"Yeah, I think that's unfair, but it's part of it," Swinney said. "If I were somewhere else it'd be a different demeanor with the media with a tough start against two good teams."

Then Swinney pointed to first-year Washington coach Steve Sarkisian, who enjoyed accolades after defeating Southern Cal, then flopped against Stanford last week. "He's getting it right and doing things the right way," Swinney said. "And that's the way I feel" about Clemson.

Right now, Swinney's focused on teaching his team how to succeed when victory is at hand. He showed his players a tape of eight plays from the TCU game that if the Tigers had executed correctly a few more times, would've made the difference in victory, Swinney said.

To those who can't yet see the success, just wait and let his staff to their jobs, Swinney says.

"I'm just worried about us continuing to get better as a football team, and being consistent with our effort, with our preparation," Swinney said. "If we continue to do that, the wins are going to come."