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CLEMSON -- Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney addressed reporters Tuesday at his weekly news conference, this time to preview his team's Saturday matchup with Wake Forest.

The Tigers (10-0, 7-0) have controlled the all-time series, holding a 66-17-1 advantage with 10 straight victories.

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Clemson is a 33-point favorite over the Demon Deacons (7-2, 3-2). The two teams will face one another in Death Valley on Saturday in a 3:30 p.m. game televised by ABC.

The following is a condensed, edited transcript of Tuesday's presser.

OPENING STATEMENTS: "I love home games. There's nothing better to me than being in the season and being with the team. There's nothing like Tiger Walk and game day in Death Valley. It's sad because we're near the end of our season. It's the last time we will see some great players run down The Hill. It's a special, special week.

"Wake Forest is a tough team. They've had a heck of a season. They're 7-2. They're coming off a tough loss at Virginia Tech. I've been looking at them for a month because we have had a lot of common opponents. They're very impressive. They're unbelievably well-coached. That would be an understatement. They do an awesome job with their scheme.

"Defensively, they are disciplined. They cover well. They're an under-front. They do a good job disguising. They will pressure you some. They will pick their spots. They're impressive up front. No. 9 coming off the edge is a heck of a defensive end. They're 290-ish inside. They're never in one place. They are always moving. They do a great job in the secondary. They have created a lot of turnovers. We are +9 and they are +7. They have won some close games. They get their hands on balls.

"Offensively everything starts with this quarterback. He is a pro. No doubt about it. He's big, physical, athletic and can make all the throws. He's got some great wideouts, probably the best group of receivers we have played. They're big-bodied guys, great on-the-ball guys. They have great length. No. 2 is the most elusive. He creates separation. He is a really good player. They have a really good group and they're kind of similar to us. They have a really good offensive line. They have a scheme they believe in. They have some backs that just pound you. If you don't tackle with physicality, two-yard runs become six-yard runs with this group. And they play all three of them.

"This will be a big challenge for us. I've had this one in my mind for awhile.

"We want to send our seniors out with a win. We want to continue to build momentum for our postseason."

Q: How good would it be to set your home win streak this weekend?

SWINNEY: "It would be awesome. It seems like it's a new record every week. We got to 10-0 last week and got another division title. The seniors have a chance to get a 52nd win this weekend. To get a 22nd straight home win, which would be a school record, would be awesome. This bunch on defense, it's 13 games they have given up 20 points or less, which goes back to 1958 under Frank Howard. It's amazing. These guys take pride in what they're doing."

Q: What's the difference in this Wake team and last year's?

SWINNEY: "They're more experienced. Dave told me after our game last year ... he thanked me. He said it was the best thing to happen to them because it made them better. They won like five in a row after our game. He felt like it got some guys focused the way they needed to be. They're just playing with great discipline. They don't beat themselves. They're one of the best in the country in turnovers. What they're doing on offense ... they're just so experienced and have playmakers, I mean guys who will play on Sundays. They believe in what they are doing. They've also stayed relatively healthy."

Q: If you're fortunate to get to a comfortable lead, are you aware of some individual records that could come about during the game?

SWINNEY: "If something like that happens, it's usually Ross or Tim Bourret and they may go over to the box. I'm not conscious of it unless someone tells me. There have been times where that has happened. Maybe someone needs five more yards or something. Okay, let's put him in and then quickly take him right back out."

Q: Tony was telling us about the jumbo package. Talk about the inception of that here.

SWINNEY: "It's what I played in. We were jumbo package every snap. It's a different style in today's world. When you're coaching Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence and you have a tight end who is 230, you need one or two dirty yards, it works out. You just want to get some guys smashing into each other. I just want to take advantage of the personnel that we have. That's where it came from. We had a lot of fun once we started toying with it. John Simpson just came about because Xavier Thomas got hurt. We wanted to be able to get into the I-formation and run over somebody. He got hit at around the 3-yard line and just drug the guy. We didn't even block it right but big guys usually beat little guys. We've had some success with the package."

Q: John Simpson was super excited after scoring that touchdown last Saturday. Do you remember the first time you scored your first touchdown?

SWINNEY: "I started in the fifth grade. I was the quarterback until I went to high school. I remember youth league, scoring. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I got tackled at the one-yard line, the one-inch line in college. I was such an unselfish player. John said he had never scored a touchdown in his entire life."

Q: John always has a smile on his face. Could you give us some insight into what he's like off the field?

SWINNEY: "Great young man, great family, excellent student and he's about to graduate. He has been a joy to be with. Never one problem. He has come in and has gone to work and has developed into a great player. He loves to laugh. He is a great teammate. Everyone on this team loves John Simpson. I'm so proud of him and his maturity. The game has slowed down. He is a very physical player who has a bright future."

Q: Did you watch any of the Alabama - LSU game?

SWINNEY: "A little bit of it but not as much as I wanted to see. We were getting ready for our game. I saw just some of it in the first half and saw some highlights. Two good teams."

Q: There haven't been too many instances in the past where you've taken two pairs of pants on the road.

SWINNEY: "That was a cool moment. I didn't want to jinx us. I didn't tell anyone but Abe Reed. We didn't have a lot of time, either. It worked out. It was pretty cool and the team was fired up. Maybe we did that one year when we played Ohio State. We've switched before. I'm pretty sure I did that one other time. I'll ask Abe. He would know. We'll be back in white pants this week."

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