CLEMSON FOOTBALL

Jeff Scott on run-in with Dabo: I went for the high-five and coach went for the hug
Jeff Scott on the sidelines at GT

Jeff Scott on run-in with Dabo: I went for the high-five and coach went for the hug


by - Senior Writer -

CLEMSON – Life can be awkward when you see someone you know and you go for the hug and they go for the handshake, the fist bump, the high five, or any other form of acknowledgment that is not a hug. Jeff Scott knows this all too well after a couple of run-ins on the sideline with head coach Dabo Swinney.

After Hunter Renfrow’s touchdown catch to beat Alabama for the 2016 National Championship, Scott famously went in to hug Swinney and both fell to the ground in a heap. Neither coach cared, of course, the thrill of the moment overpowering any sense of embarrassment.

Last Saturday, No. 3 Clemson trailed Syracuse 23-20 with just over six minutes left on the clock and 94 yards to go to the end zone. The Tigers put together a drive for the ages, and as Travis Etienne rumbled into the end zone for the game-winning score, Scott once again headed to Swinney to celebrate.

It did not go off without a hitch, and Scott smiled when reminded about it during Monday afternoon interviews in the indoor practice facility.

“Yeah, my wife showed me the video later. She said I went for the high-five and coach when he went for the hug,” Scott said. “I said I will take whatever I can get right now. I think that the biggest thing is you're obviously in the moment and you're wanting to finish. I mean, we've had some situations this year where we've gotten down to the goal line and haven't finished. It was great just to kind of see what's happening on that drive. Once we made the 4th-and-6 throw and catch and then I think might've been the next play, next play or the play after that Chase (Brice) pulls the ball and runs it down there. You're just feeling like we're about to get this thing done. And I think that was the first time that we took a lead in the entire game.”

Scott said he also received a text message from a friend about the exchange with Swinney.

“It was definitely an exciting moment and I had a buddy text me and he asked me why I didn't tackle Coach Swinney,” Scott said. “I said I'm gonna save that for later in the year. I mean it's no doubt a, an exciting moment seeing us able to go finish that. I was just proud of our guys, really proud of the offensive line and those running backs being able to go and really impose their will. And like I said before, it's one thing to able to run the ball. It's another thing to run the ball when they know you're running the ball a very difficult. I think that was definitely a great finish to a difficult week.”

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