The Atlantic Coast Conference issued a public reprimand to Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and a $10,000 fine to the university on Sunday for Swinney’s critical comments about officiating after the Tigers’ 46-45 home loss to Duke on Saturday.
With the Tigers clinging to a 45-38 lead with less than a minute left, it appeared they had a fourth-down stop which would have clinched the game before a pass interference penalty was assessed to Clemson defensive back Avieon Terrell with 43 seconds left.
Terrell was in close coverage against Que’Shon Brown, who appeared to shove Terrell when the pass was in the air to prevent an interception.
On the very next play, Duke scored a touchdown on a 3-yard Nate Sheppard run. Instead of kicking the extra point, the Blue Devils went for the win, converting a two-point conversion on a pass to Sahmir Hagans.
“I don’t even know what to say about the last call. Y’all saw it,” Swinney said of the penalty. “It shouldn’t come down to that. We had plenty of opportunities to win the game, but that’s one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen in a game, ever, in my entire coaching career. Ever.”
The ACC office said, in part, “Public criticism of officials or public comments evaluating the officiating of particular contests is not in the best interest of intercollegiate athletics.”
With the loss, Clemson falls to 3-5 (2-4 in ACC) on the year after starting the season as the No. 4 team in the preseason Associated Press poll. The Tigers host Florida State (4-4, 1-4) Saturday.
