Brian Kelly wasn’t about to let Dabo Swinney’s remarks about LSU go unanswered during his Tuesday press conference.
Earlier in the day, Swinney had been asked about Saturday night’s Week 1 clash between the two Tiger teams, held at Clemson’s Death Valley. Still clearly frustrated after Clemson’s 17-10 loss—despite leading 10-3 at halftime and being shut out in the second half—Swinney offered a pointed comparison, calling the game “a final exam on day one of class,” adding, “They made a 65, we made a 58. Neither one of us were great.”
Kelly, who notched his first season-opening win at LSU after three straight Week 1 losses, fired back at the implication that both teams underperformed.
“We dominated them in the second half,” Kelly said. “So, he’s either a really generous grader for giving himself a 58, or he’s a tough critic of us—or maybe he just didn’t watch the second half. That could be it. Maybe he didn’t want to.”
Video clips from both Kelly’s and Swinney’s Tuesday pressers are available below.
Brian Kelly’s response ⬇️ https://t.co/NyEVHnpoD2 pic.twitter.com/a3g2xEqmfX
— Bryce Koon (@bryce_koon) September 2, 2025
Typically, head coaches trade verbal jabs in the days leading up to a big game. But in this unusual scenario, the war of words came after the Week 1 clash between college football heavyweights—just as both teams were shifting focus to new opponents in a new week.
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