Swinney says mistakes hurting 18th-ranked Tigers

Published Nov. 22, 2011 1:20 p.m. ET

foxsports

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney says the reason for his team's slump is simple: Eleven turnovers in three games.

The 18th-ranked Tigers (9-2) have lost two of their past three games, including a surprising 37-13 loss to North Carolina State last Saturday. After a largely-mistake free start during and 8-0 run, the Tigers and quarterback Tajh Boyd have been error prone. Clemson faces No. 14 South Carolina on Saturday.

Clemson led the country with just six turnovers those first eight games and Boyd threw three interceptions. The Tigers have fumbled five times in the last three games while Boyd's thrown two picks a contest since the perfect start, resulting in losses to Georgia Tech and the Wolfpack.

Swinney says the Tigers were ''lucky we hadn't lost all three.''