In the recent ACC Network documentary on the 1981 national championship team, one of the underpinnings was the way a young disciple of Alabama and Bear Bryant handled things in practice.

Old-school (even for those days).

Relentless.

Unforgiving.

With one fascinating and important exception.

"Coach Bryant used to say you can treat them any way you want to treat them in practice as long as you win," Danny Ford said in We're No. 1! The Story of 1981 Clemson Football.

"But when you lose, you better handle them with kid gloves."

And that brings us to Dabo Swinney's current task of addressing his team's last 60 minutes of football.

THE DIFFICULT PARTS OF COACHING (For subscribers-only)

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