Clemson's Swinney owns 'butt-kicking' in season-opening loss

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is putting the onus of his team's 34-3 loss to No. 1 Georgia on Saturday squarely on his shoulders.

"When you get beat like that, that's on the head coach," Swinney said postgame, according to Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger. "Complete ownership of an absolute crap second half. Sometimes you get your butt kicked, and we did today."

Swinney added: "Sorry for our fans. I feel terrible for them. We didn't get it done for them."

The Tigers' offense produced just 188 total yards compared to Georgia's 477 at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Quarterback Cade Klubnik completed 18 of 29 pass attempts for 142 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception, while Clemson only managed two yards per carry and 46 rushing yards.

Swinney's squad mustered just a 26-yard field goal by Nolan Hauser.

Despite assembling top-tier recruiting classes throughout much of his coaching tenure, Swinney has faced plenty of criticism for his refusal to recruit players via the transfer portal. However, he isn't ready to change his preferences despite describing Saturday's lopsided loss as a "butt-kicking."

"People say whatever they are going to say. Doesn't matter what I say. We do what's best for Clemson," Swinney said. "When you lose like this, they've got every right to say whatever they want and write whatever you want."

No. 14 Clemson hasn't qualified for the College Football Playoff in the past three seasons, and the program's nine wins last year were the fewest under Swinney since 2010.

The Tigers will attempt to earn their first victory of the season when they host Appalachian State on Sept. 7.