LSU Coach Brian Kelly Challenges clemson‘s Dabo Swinney on Game Evaluation
BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU head coach Brian Kelly publicly questioned Clemson coach Dabo Swinney’s assessment of their recent matchup, suggesting Swinney’s self-evaluation may not fully reflect the game’s outcome. The exchange followed LSU’s 17-10 victory over then-No. 5 Clemson in the season opener on Saturday, September 2, 2025.
Swinney,during his weekly press conference,likened the game to an early-season exam,assigning a grade of 65 to LSU and 58 to Clemson. Kelly responded that LSU “dominated” the second half – where they outscored Clemson 14-0 – and implied Swinney’s grading was either overly harsh on his own team or dismissive of LSU’s performance. This back-and-forth highlights the contrasting perspectives of two prominent college football coaches following a important early-season contest.
LSU outgained Clemson 354-261 in total yards and recorded 25 first downs compared to Clemson’s 13. Kelly, who secured his first season-opening win at LSU and his first victory against a top-5 AP ranked opponent with the Tigers, stated, “I thought we dominated them in the second half, so he’s really a really good grader for giving himself a 58, or he’s a really hard grader on us… Or he didn’t see the second half, which, that might be the case.He might not have wanted to see the second half.”
the AP Top 25 poll reflected the game’s impact, with LSU rising six spots to No.3 and Clemson falling four to No. 8. Kelly emphasized the importance of focusing on future games, with LSU next facing Louisiana Tech.He acknowledged Clemson’s quality, stating, “Clemson is a darn good football team… they’re going to be a team in the hunt for [the] playoff picture. We hope we are,too.But it was only one game.”
The two teams are scheduled to meet again when Clemson visits LSU to open the 2026 season.
