Dabo Swinney's Sunday Night Teleconference
CLEMSON -- Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney addressed members of the media Sunday evening during his weekly teleconference, this time after he and his staff reviewed film of Saturday's game where the Tigers blew out N.C. State in Death Valley.
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Coach Swinney covered a myriad of topics Sunday, as usual.
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Clemson (2-1, 1-0) will host Stanford (2-1, 1-0) next Saturday. The Tigers are a 22-point favorite. The game is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff and will be televised by ESPN.
OPENING STATEMENTS: "To recap from yesterday, I am really proud of our team. It was a complete performance. Our guys showed up ready and set the tone right out of the gate, all three phases especially in that first quarter. We created two turnovers in the first 13 plays of the game and then the offense capitalized.
"Defensively, our first group played well. It was 59-14 until the fourth quarter there. We worked a lot of backup guys and have had the opportunity to do that over the last two games. It will help us develop these guys, our team.
"Third down was really good. We created a bunch of negative yards. Biggest disappointment was the fourth quarter with so many young guys in there getting exposed ... red zone touchdowns and critical penalties.
"Offensively, we had great balance, explosiveness and played with confidence. In three games we have had no sacks on the offensive line. We didn't have any turnovers. First time since the ACC Championship game in 2022 to not have a turnover. Our quarterback played really well for back to back weeks. We're throwing and catching at a really high level right now. Our wideouts were really good without the ball yesterday, getting downfield and blocking.
"All in all a fun game for the guys and hopefully for our fans as well. We still have a lot to learn. Let's see if we can continue to create more momentum. The big key for us is to continue to learn and develop from what we have done so far.
"Next week we have an undefeated conference team coming in.
"Injury-wise, we came out of it pretty good."
Q: It was difficult to go tempo against UGA. You seemed to go faster than you did against App State yesterday.
SWINNEY: "We were hitting some big plays and it was hot. We were able to get down the field without subbing and we were in a rhythm. When we can drive the tempo, that's something we love to do."
Q: Can you put into words what it does for an offensive coordinator when you have your quarterback in a rhythm?
SWINNEY: "At any level of football it's all about what your quarterback can do. He's still a young player who is developing right before our eyes. He's doing a great job and has a great command of things. We saw a lot of this in the spring and we saw it all summer. Honestly, I saw a lot of good things in the first game. He still left a little out there yesterday. The game has just slowed down for him. That comes with experience. When you are really talented and then you develop confidence to go with that through your work ethic and preparation, that helps. Also, we're better around him ... more experience, more depth and we are healthy. We have a bunch of people touching the ball and we are playing well up front. Harris Sewell is our youngest guy up front.
"It all starts with Cade ... just his growth. When you have that, as a play-caller, with those weapons, you can load him up with more than you would be able to with a younger player. He's done a good job with the protections, some of the checks he's made, using his legs and things. Hopefully he'll continue to stay the course there."
Q: As well as he is playing now, is there one moment you can point to where it led to Cade's confidence taking off?
SWINNEY: "I think last year, five straight wins to finish the year and the two-minute drive to win the bowl game. I think that fueled his off-season. He came in and attacked what he needed to in order to get better. He showed a ton of confidence in camp. I saw that growing through camp."
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Q: Do you feel like Jay Haynes is separating himself as the guy behind Phil Mafah?
SWINNEY: "I would say so now that we have three games. He has flashed and has done some good stuff. What a great play on the handoff draw there. I'm pleased with all of those guys, though. Keith, as I've said many times, is different. We really believe in Keith. He'll have some good moments as well. We're continuing to bring Eziomume along. We got Jarvis back yesterday. It's a good group. Jay definitely gives us something different right now."
Q: Mafah told us he had a little bit of a shoulder stinger. Did you think for a moment that it might have been more serious? He wasn't out long.
SWINNEY: "Doctor told us he was good to go. We just do what the doctors tell us. They sent him back over there and he went back in and ripped off another touchdown run. I'm proud of him."
Q: What was the evaluation on film on Denhoff, Hoffler and Lawson in terms of point of attack?
SWINNEY: "I'm pleased with those guys. Denhoff is very steady for us. He does his job and he's going to grade well. He had about 20-something snaps. He's a guy we trust. I'm really proud of Hoffler and Lawson. Hoffler is really starting to play fast. You can really see his confidence growing. He's got a little bit of violence and twitch to him. He's one of the guys who just needs some reps. Man, Jaheim, I'm proud of him. He can do everything we need him to do. He can be really physical. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes. I think he had one mental error yesterday. He's a high energy guy.
"It's a good group. That's one positive of Peter Woods being out because it's forced the issue with some of these other guys."
Q: After one of the N.C. State touchdowns late, Nick Eason was really in the faces of a lot of defensive players. What is the message there in that moment?
SWINNEY: "I think it was 59-14 into the fourth quarter and then all of a sudden they get three touchdowns on our backups. It's frustrating. As a coach you want to put your starters back out there, but those guys (backups) need to play. The standard doesn't change when they go in. They want to play but they need to get the job done. I think what happened yesterday will create some urgency with these guys. These last couple of weeks, we're getting some of these guys' attention. I guarantee you. The message is just that ... you play to a standard. It doesn't matter what the scoreboard is. Just because the starters are out, it doesn't mean we don't care what's happening on the field."
Q: With Kobe McCloud out, there's a lot more playing time for Sammy Brown and Dee Crayton. How would you grade them now?
SWINNEY: "They're improving. Dee took his eyes off the back one that one play. He's a redshirt freshman, so he's still a young player but he's getting better. Sammy, to throw him out there and play him, he's getting better. He had a couple of mistakes and missed a tackle or two, but he's physical and playing fast. They're getting better every single rep. I'm really pleased with where they are right now. We just have to keep them coming."
