The look on Dabo Swinney's face when the clock struck zero said it all.

Braden Smith had just found open space on the back end of Clemson's defense and cradled a 31-yard touchdown pass.

This came two plays after Smith, wide open in the end zone, let a perfect pass sail though his hands.

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All Swinney could do was take his hat off, shake his head and smile.

And it was not a smile of contentment with what he'd just seen on the previous few plays, or over the previous three-plus hours.

This team deserves credit for the way it responded to the absolute gut punch at Notre Dame, perhaps the most reverberating of the Swinney era for the way it made you question the mental and physical toughness of this program.

As stated last night in our column from the game, given the circumstances a 15-point victory over Louisville will be taken -- and quickly.

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But boy is it hard to gloss over the dysfunctional nature of this team, at this point in the season.

Over the long haul of 2022, it seems there have been so many times within a game when they're ready to break the dang thing open and reach a level to which they seem so close.