Duke’s social media account appeared to troll Dabo Swinney after Monday’s 28-7 victory over Clemson.
Last week, the Tigers head coach complained of the “journey” to the visiting locker rooms at Duke’s Wallace Wade Stadium. He remarked that they must “walk briskly” at halftime.
“It’s like a two- or three-minute walk,” Swinney said, via The State‘s Chapel Fowler. “It’s a long way to get to the locker room. A long way. And in college football, you barely have enough time to go to the bathroom and talk for 30 seconds in there and it’s time to go again.”
The Blue Devils thus had a theory behind outscoring the Tigers 22-0 in the second half.
“Must’ve been the long walk,” Duke wrote on Twitter.
Must’ve been the long walk 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/eTHmxyQhUT
— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) September 5, 2023
Clemson’s offense had a lethargic first half, but the game truly spiraled after the intermission.
The Tigers turned a first-and-goal at the 1-yard line into a blocked field goal. They also fumbled twice inside the 10 and threw a late interception.
As a result, Clemson lost by 21 despite outgaining Duke in total yards. Swinney noted after the game that his team had previously never lost when tallying at least 200 passing and 200 rushing yards.
“That’s the weirdest game I’ve ever been a part of,” Swinney said, courtesy of ESPN’s David Hale. “I’ve been beat. I’ve had my butt kicked. But that’s the strangest game I’ve ever been a part of.”
Duke earned its first win over a top-10 opponent since 1989. Meanwhile, Swinney and the Tigers took a long walk of shame before returning home to play Charleston Southern.