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CLEMSON -- Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney addressed members of the media Sunday evening during his weekly news conference, this time to take a closer look at his team's 55-10 win over N.C. State on Saturday evening in Raleigh.

The Tigers (10-0, 7-0) have already punched their ticket to Charlotte for the ACC Championship game and will face Wake Forest (7-2, 3-2) in Death Valley on Saturday in a 3:30 p.m. game televised by ABC. Clemson opened Sunday as a 31-point favorite over the Demon Deacons.

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The following is an edited, condensed transcript of Swinney's Sunday evening teleconference.

OPENING STATEMENTS: "First, I want to give our condolences to the Scott family. Brad Scott's mother passed away this morning. Brad was able to be there with her yesterday and into this morning.

"Last night, super proud of our team, the mindset of our team. We're playing at a high level right now and we're doing what we need to do to earn a championship opportunity. It was exciting. Guys just really played well. I'm super proud of our staff and all the work that has been put in. It was our ninth 10-win season here since we took over. Just appreciative of our seniors and leadership. It was another goal accomplished. We have been working all year to this point.

"Offensively, we played outstanding. We had five touchdown drives of at least 75 yards. Our communication was really good up front. We had no turnovers and that's three games in a row. We had a lot of great individual plays. Our quarterback continues to play at a high level as well as our offensive line. We did have too many penalties and a couple offsides in the second half and some drops. Really played well all-in-all. We had a school record 55 points three games in a row and that has never happened. What we have been able to do running and passing ... it hasn't happened since I've been a head coach.

"Defensively, the biggest thing is we held them under 300 yards, a record and that ties the 2011 Alabama team. That's all year we've held our opponents to under 300 yards. We've had 13 games of holding teams to under 20 points. That record goes back to the 1950's under Frank Howard. We did a good job in the red zone last night. A lot of guys played well. We did give up three big runs and that was the biggest negative. There are some technical things that we need to clean up. We had a couple of bad penalties, too.

"I love where our team is right now. This week is another opportunity for us to honor our seniors. It's always a big week with a lot of emotion. It's exciting to take some time to honor these guys in front of the home crowd one last time. It's a very tough Wake Forest team coming in, a very dangerous team.

"Injury-wise, we're in good shape. Knock on wood there."

Q: In terms of the jumbo package, take us through how you decide on calling that. It seems there is more of a buzz with your players when you call it.

SWINNEY: "We work on it every year. We've had it several years here now. Those defensive guys, big, strong, athletic guys ... sheer mass and athleticism. We want to take advantage of that in certain situations. This year we were transitioning a little bit but we have been working on it as far as who we wanted in our heavy package. Xavier Thomas is our big back and is unbelievably fast. We haven't had to use it much. It's not just goal line. We can do it in short yardage as well. It's a nice, little package we have developed over the years.

"We didn't really block it right last right, but John Simpson is 330 pounds. It's a way for us to get a couple of dirty yards. That's the idea behind it. We've been repping John there for the last three weeks in what we call our freezer package. We just had to have the right opportunity. It just worked out last night. Our guys do get excited and take a lot of pride in it. To see John score was awesome. Now all the linemen are lobbying for their chance. Eric Mac Lain is mad. He's texting me because he didn't get to run one when he was here."

Q: We've talked a lot about Travis Etienne this year. Lyn-J Dixon now has over 1,000 yards in his career. What does that say about what he's been able to accomplish from a depth position?

SWINNEY: "It says a lot. He was explosive last year and last year he had Tavien Feaster, Etienne and Adam Choice here. He had to do what he did last year with limited opportunities. He is a great back who is still polishing and learning. He can get high and loose with the ball at times, but man he's a heck of a back. He is a really good player. The combination of those two this year has been awesome."

Q: What did you say to Travis after the skip pass to Trevor last night?

SWINNEY: "It was a terrible play by Travis. You couldn't have it set up any better. It's something we worked on. In practice he was awesome and in fact he has been perfect. Disappointed that he didn't make the play in the moment because I think we could have scored right there. He just threw a ground ball. He needs more practice in 30-degree weather. It was a funny moment. It was positive, at least. It could have been a disaster. It was a great, great play by Trevor. We don't run a lot of trick plays but it's one we felt was definitely there. Travis was mad and a little embarrassed. Effort was there but not execution."

Q: Is Wake's quarterback as dynamic a player at his position you have faced this year?

SWINNEY: "Normally I wouldn't be able to give you a good answer on Sundays but I've seen Wake a ton over the last few weeks and on both sides of the ball because of the crossover teams we've played on our schedule. Yeah, he's really, really good. They are very well coached. They don't beat themselves and don't make a lot of mistakes. They have a unique style offensively. Their style is very different and it creates some conflict with your run-pass reads.

"You have to teach some things differently against them. It's the players and their execution. Their wideouts are outstanding. This quarterback ... he's the real deal. He's big, accurate and will be a pro ... for sure. Very impressive. We're going to have our hands full. The division has been settled but for us it's about getting an 11th win and our seniors. We need to stay on course for bigger postseason opportunities."

Q: Have you spoken with Chad Morris? And your reaction to the news he was fired today?

SWINNEY: "I have not talked to him yet but have texted with him. I'll try to call him later on tonight. It's a tough business, man. I hate it. I hate it for him and for all those guys on that staff. A lot of people are going to get fired if you don't get but a year and a half to build a program. I think he is a great coach, a winner. If he had support and did not have to come to work everyday worrying about his job a year and a half into his job, you'd look up five or six years from now and be proud of what you have.

"I understand ... the type of money that's being paid and expectations. Everyone wants to win yesterday. It's just not that easy especially when you take over a challenging situation. You lose that recruiting class, the first one, when you take it over. I hate it. He'll move forward. He's a great coach. I have no doubt he'll keep moving forward and he'll learn and grow from this.

"I wish they had left him alone and supported him. Every week it was hot seat stuff. I think he would have built a really good program there. Even though the wins aren't there, I think he has upgraded their recruiting. It's hard to do something in this business in a year or year and a half timeframe. That's just where we are in this business. It's hard to take over a program that has not won and turn it around in a year and a half especially in a tough league. People who make those decisions, they make them for whatever reasons. A lot of staff, families involved. You hate that it didn't work out."

Q: Do you get tired of the narrative that exist on the strength of schedule, strength of the ACC?

SWINNEY: "I think this league has stepped its game up even though we're not going to have as many bowl teams this year. It has been a competitive league. I just worry about our program. I don't run around waving a banner other than Clemson's. The frustration is the rhetoric and the same forever, yet we have gone and won and we've beaten the best of the best. History should matter for a little something here because it's always been the same rhetoric. At some point it ought to be about who you are and how you play.

"This league has been outstanding over the last five years. No other conference has had more bowl teams over the last three years. It's not easy to do what we have done. That's for sure. At the end of the day we have played with anybody when we've had to. We've won two of the last three national titles and the rhetoric was the same then, too. I just have to focus on our team, our program and how we play. We're proud of our consistency. No one can diminish what we've been able to accomplish."

Q: How did Xavier look in his return back?

SWINNEY: "He played well. He was a little rusty. He could have finished on a couple of layups. He graded well and played 30-something plays. It was good to just get him back out there. You just notice him. He had a great week of practice. He got a big fumble recovery and some extra-effort plays."

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