CLEMSON | Tuesday night Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney addressed members of the media in a zoom teleconference following his team’s evening practice and of course a day after the Tigers beat Georgia Tech 41-10 in Atlanta.
Become a subscriber at Tigerillustrated.com!
In light of the shortened week ahead of Saturday’s 3:30 pm matchup with Furman, there will be no formal news conference with Swinney this week.
ALSO SEE: Tuesday Clemson Football Nuggets & More On True Freshmen | About last night … | Building Blocks | baby steps | Additional Clemson Football Nuggets From Atlanta | See subscriber reaction during & after win over Ga. Tech
The following is an abbreviated transcript of Tuesday night’s teleconference.
OPENING STATEMENTS: “Today was like a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday all rolled in one. I’m thankful we put a couple of days in (on Furman) during camp.
“Last night we weren’t perfect. We scored 14 points on these guys last year at home, so we got better and better as the game went on last night. I’m so proud of them. We certainly have to keep getting better . We bounced around out here tonight and got some good work in. We have just a couple of days of prep before Furman.
“Players of the game were Jordan McFadden and Davis Allen on offense, Barrett Carter and KJ Henry on defense and Carson DonnellyWade Woodaz and Aidan Swanson on special teams.
“Lastly, I want to offer my condolences to Fred Hoover’s family. I know he was 93 years old, but he’s just one of those guys you felt like would live forever. What a Clemson legend he is, such a great human being. I’m on my 20th season here so I have known him a long time. He’s so respected and loved. We’re going to miss him. Doc … I hope you rest in peace.”
Q: Injury-wise, did you come out of last night alright?
SWINNEY: “Just typical game stuff. I don’t see anyone being out right now. A couple of guys banged up but nothing serious.”
Q: Curious to get your thoughts on Blake Miller’s performance, his first start?
SWINNEY: “He did OK. He looked like a freshman at times. A little disappointed in some fundamental things last night. Next thing you know you get outside of your technique. Definitely work to be done. He’s a true freshman. He’ll get better. He’s got everything that he needs.”
Q: Did Zaire Patterson travel?
SWINNEY: “He didn’t.”
Q: Is he in good standing?
SWINNEY: “Yeah.”
Join Tigerillustrated.com subscribers on The West Zone message board!
Q: Bryan Bresee flew around out there last night and seems to be past his (ACL) injury. How did he grade?
SWINNEY: “Good. He did a lot of great things and was disruptive. We missed way too many tackles, so he left a little bit out there. He was fun to watch. I was excited to see Tre’ Williams go in and be explosive . He missed a lot of practice time. I was pleased with what I saw but I also know we have a lot to correct. Everything we saw was correctible.”
Q: How do you get these guys locked into Furman on a short turnaround?
SWINNEY: “We don’t treat this game any differently than any other. We play Clemson every week. I know some people say that’s coach-speak but it’s not. If you prepare differently this week, you’ll never be consistent. We prepare to a standard, not an opponent or a kickoff time or the weather. None of those things should impact your will to win and your preparation. That’s what has driven this program for a long time. We have to show up and be ready to play “
Q: A good weekend for the ACC. Your thoughts on a good showing by the conference early? You’ve always spoken highly of your conference.
SWINNEY: “This league has been in the playoffs as much as anybody and we have competed. We have won it. Florida State has won it. It’s good to see teams have big wins. Honestly, though, my focus is Clemson. We have a tough task ahead and respect for every opponent that we play. We just want to be 2-0 after this weekend.”
Non-football-related & off topics forum
Q: Kevin Swint had some time in the first half. How has he progressed over the last several months … camp?
SWINNEY: “He’s just a good player, good instincts. We saw it come on last fall and he carried it into the spring. He’s someone we trust. I’m glad he got a chance to get in there. We need him this year. We got guys who won’t be here next year, so this is important for his development.”
Q: What stood out to you watching your corners last night?
SWINNEY: “We have three starters and they all did good and bad things last night. We dropped a pick-six and had too many missed tackles. We had some technical things that we can clean up. I thought they did a solid job. They averaged 4.5 yards a catch. They were 2-of-16 on third down, so our guys did a nice job. Those top three are where it starts for us right now. (Fred Davis, Nate Wiggins, Sheridan Jones)
Q: With Wade already playing in the opener, have you decided that he will not redshirt?
SWINNEY: “He’s going to play. He will definitely play. That’s why we started him. He’s definitely a guy that we need. We held TJ Dudley, Cole Turner and Keith Adams off the top of my head. Other than that we played a bunch of guys who traveled with us.”
Q: You like to say there’s nothing less important than the score at halftime, but you’ve won 60 straight when leading at halftime.
SWINNEY: “I didn’t know that stat. That’s a good one. I think it’s the fact that it’s a four-quarter game. What I’m most proud of is that we are 119-2 when we have a lead going into the fourth quarter. To me, that’s a reflection of everything that your program is about and being able to finish. We’ve had a lot of close games we have had to win, too.
“We got better as the game went last night. We settled in and got some control in the second quarter. It was a lot of fun to see us improve and get stronger. Hopefully that’s a good sign of the makeup of this team.”
Q: Did they do anything in particular to take away Joe Ngata?
SWINNEY: “Nah. He had one catch. He’ll have plenty of opportunities. He played hard and tough and did some good things blocking on the perimeter.”
Q: Will Putnam had a couple of bad snaps but overall, how did he grade after reviewing the movie?
SWINNEY: “Good. Graded a winner. One was on the ground and the other one DJ needs to make it still. There’s a reason why the NFL has preseason. We’re the only level of football that does not have it. It’s hard to simulate that level of intensity in practice. We only get two scrimmages now (in camp). Putnam had a great camp and had a solid game for us. A good first start for sure.”
Q: Were the missed tackles in part a result of the lack of scrimmages you’ve had in camp?
SWINNEY: “There’s no question. It’s just that simple. A lot of those things show up in all of these preseason games that you see in the NFL and you have to play through it. When you have scrimmages, you are repping three guys and things show up. The speed of the game is real and the next thing you know your technique isn’t quite as good as it needs to be. We had some room for error in that game last night. We will have several games where there are one, two or three plays, so we have to clean up things on both sides of the ball and be special on special teams.”
Q: Cade seemed really enthusiastic in the limited amount of time he was on the field last night.
SWINNEY: That’s just who he is. He’s that way everyday. He has a lot of energy. He loves to play and compete. He is super talented. It was awesome to see him get that opportunity. We’ll build from there and go forward.”
MARKET DOWN officially licensed CLEMSON gear horse The Tiger Fan Shop HERE!