When the Virginia Tech and Clemson football teams met on Saturday night in Death Valley, it was the first time in over a decade that the Hokies were in South Carolina for an ACC matchup against the Tigers.
In what turned into a defensive battle, Virginia Tech picked up a 20-16 win to improve to 6-2 on the season and drop Clemson to 4-3. Trailing 16-13 in the fourth quarter, the Hokies went on an 11-play, 69-yard drive that consumed 4:45 off the clock. Virginia Tech was helped by some pass interference penalties in the game, and after the loss, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney didn't hide his frustration with the officials.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney fires subtle shot at ACC officiating crew
Virginia Tech moved the ball to the Tigers' 5-yard line and faced a 4th-and-1 with under two minutes left. Down three points, instead of kicking the field goal to tie the game, Franklin went for it. Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer found a wide-open Luke Reynolds in the back of the end zone for his second touchdown of the night. Brent Pry's defense was able to come up with a fourth-down stop to seal the win with 48 seconds left.
However, Swinney was clearly upset with some of the calls in the game and on that drive. According to Grayson Mann of TigerNet.com, Swinney would like to pass interference to be reviewable and said that the officials were "visible" in the game.
Dabo Swinney was asked whether he wanted pass interference to be reviewable to some extent after the PI call against Clemson in the fourth quarter.
— Grayson Mann (@gray_mann21) October 25, 2026
He says, "For sure."
Swinney adds that tonight's officials were "visible" tonight.
"They had some TV time."
Well, if we're being honest, the calls were good ones. Look, if they weren't called, then James Franklin likely would not have been happy. If freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds drove Clemson down the field for a game-winning touchdown, then Swinney is likely not upset. However, he should be more concerned about his struggling offense and not covering Reynolds on the game-winning score than he should be with the officials.
Swinney isn't the first coach to call out the officials this season, and he won't be the last. It's not just an ACC problem, but a college football problem. James Franklin did the same thing a couple of weeks ago when Virginia Tech was upset at California. Reynolds was mugged in the back of the end zone on the game's final play, and instead of throwing a flag, the referee standing right there decided to keep his flag in his pocket, and the game was over.
There was some TV time for the officials on Saturday night, but there is in every game for the officials. If Dabo Swinney said he wouldn't want those calls going his way if the roles were reversed, he would be lying. However, he does have a point to make: pass interference should be reviewable, but it'll never happen. Good idea, but good luck having it become something that will be reviewed.
A coach calling out officials is nothing new, but it always happens after a loss. Maybe Dabo should be more upset with his defender for making a late hit on quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer that evened out a Hokies holding penalty than blaming the officials earlier on the game-winning drive. Just a thought.
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