Clemson coach Dabo Swinney confronted his defensive team near the end of the second quarter during Saturday’s game against Duke, after Darian Mensah threw his fourth touchdown pass of the half.

After Duke succeeded on its fourth fourth-down attempt, Mensah located Que’Sean Brown behind Clemson’s defense for a 43-yard touchdown, tying the game at 28 with just 11 seconds remaining in the half.

Clemson, returning from an off week, conceded 21 points in the first quarter and fell behind by two touchdowns before rallying to regain a 28-21 lead prior to Brown’s second touchdown of the half.

Swinney had an intense exchange with safety Khalil Barnes and others following a missed coverage against Brown.

“Dabo Swinney has officially hit a breaking point. Clemson’s head coach absolutely loses it on his defense, which has given up 28 first-half points to Duke… at home.” — Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing)

Duke successfully executed all four fourth downs in the first half, with Mensah ending the period completing 15 of 24 attempts for 241 yards and four touchdowns. Alongside Brown’s lengthy touchdown, he also connected with Cooper Barkate for a 77-yard touchdown.

“Not sure if Cooper Barkate could’ve been more open… 👀” — Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL)

If Clemson succumbs to the Blue Devils, the Tigers anticipate the likelihood of missing a bowl game for the first time since 2004. Under Swinney’s leadership, Clemson has consistently participated in bowl games for the past 18 seasons. Before the game, Swinney mentioned his team had a splendid week of practice and was eager to face Duke.