Dabo Swinney and Brian Kelly Credit: Clemson and LSU
By Sean Keeley on

The LSU Tigers outlasted the Clemson Tigers 17-10 on Saturday in a season-opening slugfest. While Clemson led 10-3 at the half,  LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier threw a go-ahead touchdown pass to Trey’Dez Green early in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback win.

Afterward, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney looked back and saw the game as an early-season “final exam” in which both teams played poorly, but his Tigers were just a little worse than Brian Kelly’s.

“It was a hell of a game. It was a hell of a game. Down to the last play, right out of the gate,” Swinney said at his Tuesday press conference. “It’s like getting a final exam, day one of class. They made a 65. We made a 58. Neither one of us were great.”

Kelly was asked about those comments at his presser later in the day, and the LSU coach didn’t take too kindly to that read of how his team performed.

“Well, I mean, I thought we dominated them in the second half. So, he’s either a really good grader for, you know, 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,” Kelly has since responded. “He might not have wanted to see the second half. So, I don’t know if he’s a hard grader or an easy grader, but I like the way we played in the second half.”

Spicy!

Both coaches were right in a way. The game was marked by costly turnovers, poor play, and questionable calls before LSU’s defense stole the show in the second half, shutting down Clemson’s rushing attack (32 rushing yards) and keeping them out of the end zone.

We can all hope that LSU and Clemson meet again in the College Football Playoff later this year, and we get to see Swinney and Kelly try to out-sass one another once more.

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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