Blowout win, laptop gag show Clemson Tigers can dish it and take it

Manie Robinson | The Greenville News

Show Caption Hide Caption Dabo Swinney NC State post game press conference Dabo Swinney NC State post game press conference

Clemson coaches brought their sense of humor to the sideline Saturday during the fourth quarter of their 41-7 victory against North Carolina State.

Clemson uses play cards to signal calls to the offense. The images vary nearly every week. They have included popular logos, familiar emojis, cartoons and celebrities from Ronda Rousey to Nikki Haley.

On Saturday, the coaches held up a picture of a laptop. It was a playful reference to the accusatory inquiry N.C. State coach Dave Doeren imposed last year alleging that Clemson was using a laptop on the sideline to gain an advantage.

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The laptop belonged to a student videographer who was working for the Clemson communications staff. Hilarity ensued from the rash misunderstanding.

The incident resurfaced last week, and Clemson delivered the final blow in the amusing exchange.

THERE IS A LAPTOP ON CLEMSON’S SIDELINE @NCState pic.twitter.com/5o6G1WT9tP — Tayler Easton (@taylereaston) October 20, 2018

“That was the ultimate troll, wasn’t it?... I was hoping y’all might notice that,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said, before revealing that assistant coaches approached him with the idea.

“They wanted to have a little fun with that,” Swinney added, “and I said, ‘Well, hey, if you earn it, put it up there.’ I don’t think you saw it until the fourth quarter, but that was a troll.”

The brash taunt shows the Tigers are not afraid to revel in their dominance. They have earned their seat at the head of the Atlantic Coast Conference table, and they have no plans to relinquish it.

Clemson does not mind flashing the jewels in its crown while its ACC colleagues struggle to scrub the rust out of theirs. Clemson can proudly peacock all the way to Tallahassee this week.

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Florida State was once the ostentatious exemplar of bravado. The Seminoles talked tough and consistently backed it up. As their play subsided through recent years, the volume lowered. Florida State has made little noise this season.

Florida State opened the season with an embarrassing 24-3 loss to Virginia Tech. They struggled with Samford the next week and then loss by 23 to Syracuse.

First-year head coach Willie Taggert brought his personal tagline “Do Something” to Tallahassee, but the Seminoles have done little more than defeat ACC cellar dwellers Louisville and Wake Forest.

Clemson must aim to keep the Seminoles quiet. Clemson can notch a fourth consecutive victory against Florida State for the first time in the series. It can also push one step closer to securing a fourth consecutive Atlantic Division championship and extend its run toward a fourth College Football Playoff appearance.

The Tigers may not craft an equally amusing troll job for the Seminoles, but they will not shed a tear for how far their recent rival has fallen. Clemson is no longer the unstable program that suffers empathy pains against inferior foes.

Clemson is the team that breaks out a synchronized dance at the line of scrimmage before ripping through your offensive line. It is the team that plays Bruno Mar's song "Finesse" during a game to fire back at national analyst Desmond Howard, who used the unflattering term to describe Clemson's playing style.

It is the team that relishes the roars of the road crowd, the team that enjoys filling a stadium with silence.

Clemson embraces the quips and slights. It is not afraid to engage in the physical and the comical battles, especially considering Clemson has won frequently in both respects.

Clemson enjoys playing with its food. It simply must ensure that it finishes each meal.