CLEMSON -- Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney met with members of the media Tuesday as part of his weekly news conference, this time to again discuss his team's overtime loss to No. 4 Florida State while also looking ahead to Saturday's matchup with Syracuse on the road. Swinney also provided numerous personnel and injury updates and practice insight.
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The Tigers (2-2, 0-2), a 7-point favorite, are 9-1 vs. the Orange (4-0) under Swinney.
The following is an abbreviated transcript of Tuesday's presser.
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OPENING STATEMENTS: "This week we're going up against a top 10 scoring offense and top 10 scoring defense. They’re at home. It’s another great quarterback. I have a lot of respect for him. He is averaging almost 90 yards a game rushing. He has six touchdowns. Kind of everything goes through him. They do a great job schematically. They have a couple of big receivers. One of them is about 6’6. They’re getting about 500-something yards a game. A lot of explosives. They are a true RPO team. Everything comes through the run game. Huge RPO team. They challenge you from a communication and discipline standpoint. Some option, scrambles and a lot of shots. Their quarterback is a very confident thrower. He's a problem. It all starts with him.
"They are a true 3-3-5 defense. You will get every look known to mankind. Rarely do they ever end up where they line up. It is a twist or a loop or some type of stunt every single snap. They challenge you from a communication standpoint as far as how you pick that stuff up. Post-snap discipline is really important. Man, they play hard and physical. They swarm to the ball. They really understand their scheme. They do a nice job. It's another big challenge for us.
"I am disappointed with our record but very proud of our guys. We have played our tails off with the things that indicate you should win. So many good things. For us, it's all about the ball. We're 2-2 because we have been horrendous with not just turnovers but with the type of turnovers we have had. We've given up 36 points off turnovers. We're lucky to be 2-2, honestly. When you play good people, you can't do that. These have been critical turnovers ... scoop-scores and pick-sixes. What we are doing offensively and defensively indicate winning. We just have to play through this. It'll turn. Our guys are getting better every single week. We want to get back on track."
Q: You've said the guys have played their tails off. Did you get that sense last night in practice?
SWINNEY: "Yes. They know. We watch tape for hours. When you out-gain the No. 3 team in the country by 100-and-something yards, you feel good about what you are doing. Same thing offensively. When you outrush the opponent, good things usually happen. We have out-gained every opponent we have played. They're not perfect but they are playing the right way. We'll get through this. Honestly, I've had a bunch of 4-0 teams around here that haven't played as well as this group."
Q: What's your approach going through something like this?
SWINNEY: "We don't have a better kid on this team than Phil Mafah. He just ripped off a 46-yard run and then he just didn't check the back side. I mean, we're human. These guys aren't robots. Instead of just a sack, it was a sack, fumble and a 71-yard touchdown. And we were hopefully getting ready to make it a two-score game. How do you play at the end of the day? If you do it the right way, that stuff will turn.
"This is a team that is close. They're tough, physical and made of the right things. You just tell them the truth and be honest. We have lost around here and yet we still get the truth. We have played well four games in a row but our record doesn't show it. Turnovers are the greatest equalizers in football. Don't take care of the ball, you get beat. You just have to play through it.
"They are a pissed off team. You only get 12 opportunities to play. You own it, look at it but you press on. That's what football teaches you. You get up and go to practice and go from there."
Q: How much of what they do is designed to get Shrader out of the box so that he takes off?
SWINNEY: "He is a big, strong kid and he has a great feel. He's fast. He's faster than he is quick, but yet he is elusive and slippery in the pocket. Let him get outside and he can be gone. He has a good feel for stepping up and pushing out. Look at two big plays in the Purdue game, he just scrambled around and was outside. They do a lot of designed runs, speed option, mid-line stuff. They do a lot that will challenge you. You have to be careful not to over-squeeze at defensive end. The ball is in his hands. He makes them go for sure. He's making a ton of decisions.
"What doesn't get mentioned about him a lot is he can throw the football. He is a confident thrower. He will flat out let it rip. He creates a lot of problems. He has made some big throws in scramble situations, too. You have to have great discipline in scramble coverage. As long as he is behind that line of scrimmage, you better be covering your guy. You have to stay with your guy."
Q: How much confidence does your defense have, given what it did against FSU last week?
SWINNEY: "We are incredibly confident on defense. We're freaking good. They have been in position every week. They ought to be 4-0. This defense has played its tail off. They're a top 10 defense but not a top 10 defense in scoring because of the turnovers to points. They are playing tough. I am really proud of them. We have to continue to play that way. They have created a lot of consistency in their performance. We held FSU to 22 yards rushing. I guarantee you that won't happen to them again this year."
Q: How similar is Shrader to Riley Leonard?
SWINNEY: "Similar. Big, long, dudes who can break tackles. Shrader has more experience."
Q: Do you have an update on Nate Wiggins' health?
SWINNEY: "He's day to day. He moved around last night. He'll get better each day. We'll see."
Q: What went into the decision to pulling the redshirt on Ronan Hanafin?
SWINNEY: "Cole getting hurt and being out for the year and looking at the longevity of the season. We knew Ronan could help us on special teams. And he did a great job for us last week. He needs to be a core guy for us going forward. He'll just keep getting better. He is tough and has good ball skills. I love his physicality and maturity. Had it not been for Cole going down, we would have stayed the course."
Q: Troy Stellato had a breakout game Saturday. How encouraged are you with his progression to this point?
SWINNEY: "As I said, anything we got from him would be a bonus. It's hard to count on a guy who's never available. Our expectation when he got here was for him to be great. That's why everyone in the country offered him. He just hasn't been available. If he stays available, you'll continue to see him soar. That kid can play. He can run. Now the brace is off. He's incredibly confident. He's got some swagger to him now. He's a tough kid. He snatches the ball. He's a guy who has already helped us. He has his whole career in front of him. He has the ability to be a really good player. Hopefully the tough breaks are behind him."
Q: The latest on Antonio Williams?
SWINNEY: "Getting better. Day to day and improving daily."
Q: Some of your players said yesterday that they have been able to dream big with this program, but now that's tweaked some this season. How do you lower expectations without lowing the standard?
SWINNEY: "I don't think we'll lower the standard but sometimes we have to have a new dream. I've had a lot of great plans along the way but God has had a different plan at times. My life has taught me that. I've been incredibly disappointed in my life because something here or there didn't go my way or according to may plan. Well God had a different plan. It's important to dream big. That's huge. That's awesome. Sometimes you have to tweak your dream a little bit. God's plan is always bigger than our plan.
"It's disappointing because this is one of the best teams I've had. It's better than some of the 4-0 teams I have had. But what a great opportunity we have to respond now and to grow. Something good comes from everything. Hey, let's see if we can win a game this weekend. Let's just dream about beating Syracuse this week."
Q: What is Cade learning and some of the other guys on offense learning through all of this in recent weeks?
SWINNEY: "We only have one senior on offense and that's Will Putnam. They're all learning lessons. Every game is the biggest game of the year at a place like Clemson. Championship-caliber games are like one play. These guys are three plays away from being 4-0 and top three or four in the country. That's a fact. They're learning all that, how critical every play is. They're learning about how you play the game and they're seeing those results, maybe not on the scoredboard but in other areas."
Q: How have you seen Cade grow as a leader?
SWINNEY: "Yes. Complete ownership. Confidence. He has a little bit of alligator skin. And that will serve him well the rest of his career. He has been awesome. Some people like football and some love it and that kid loves it. He loves every bit of it ... practice, training, film. He is a natural leader. He has gotten better every week. Y'all have all seen it. That kid is a winner. When his career is over here, we'll all look back and go, 'Wow.' He is on his way."
Q: Can you talk about Tyler Brown's emergence ... how that's happened so quickly? And his health?
SWINNEY: "Man, that is a tough kid. Not many guys would have been able to go back in that game. That kid has the eye of the Tiger. He loves Clemson. He can really run. He's very confident. He is a great student of the game which is why he has been able to progress so quick. I am so proud of him. He's another young guy who has a bright future ahead of him."
Q: Anything different Rocky Long does schematically?
SWINNEY: "I just think he is an excellent teacher. You see that on tape. Their guys are fully committed to his scheme. They ask those players to do some things that aren't too sexy. These guys just buy into that system. Technically they are really well taught. They don't have a lot of miscues. There are some train wrecks going on up front. They're not really big, so they're going to move everywhere and it creates hesitation. We did a pretty good job last year. We rushed for about 327 yards last year but had four turnovers in this game last year. I'd forgotten about this game and then watched it again and got nauseous. We were fortunate to win the game last year. Their QB got some yards on us, but we were able to shut them down in the second half."
Q: How do you feel about Mitchell Mayes in pass-protection now?
SWINNEY: "Pass-pro is what he does best. He is a smart player. He can play anywhere for us. He played solid Saturday. He gets it. He's a smart kid. Of the four games, I'd rank Saturday probably fourth. He sees tendencies and tips. He could play left or right tackle. I know he understands things. He's capable."
Q: How about Harris Sewell?
SWINNEY: "We trust him. He's still a freshman and there's a lot going on in there. Those were some massive humans over there and we did a good job offensively giving ourselves a chance to win aside from the one critical mistake. We gave up no sacks on the offensive line. Harris is a guy who will continue to work his way in there. You'll see him in there and Trent Howard. He has length and understands pass pro."
Q: You have played Khalil Barnes, Tyler Brown and other true freshmen. Are there some other freshmen we may see more of soon?
SWINNEY: "T.J. Parker is playing starter reps. He's already doing that. Ronan is a guy you will see play. We have to get him on the field. Those are probably the main ones right now as far as freshmen. Olsen Patt-Henry is another guy we have committed to playing. Harris will play more. It's a long season."
Q: Jay Haynes' health?
SWINNEY: "Ankle sprain. Hopefully we'll get him back here soon."
Q: On the left tackle rotation, are you still platooning?
SWINNEY: "I am really happy with both of those guys. We have had rotations there before. It's nice to not have to play a guy 80 snaps, honestly. We have good depth there. We felt coming in the season that we had really good depth on the offensive line. Certainly with Sadler and Tristan, they're coming. They're holding up. They held their own against some pretty good dudes the other day. I am really proud of them. As far as who runs out there first? That depends on them. Blake played really well on the other side. We feel great about Putnam. We feel really good about Tate. We feel good about Mitchell. Who runs out first at left tackle depends on what they're doing week to week. It's good when you have depth."
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Q: How would you assess Jeadyn Lukus now?
SWINNEY: "Super proud of him. You hate the one play there at the end but that kid will just keep soaring. He is unique. He is big, strong and long. He is learning. His confidence is growing. His technique is improving. He has to be a little lower at some of the break points and needs to have better collision balance, but I am very proud of him. I love our defensive backs. We've got a good roster. We've taken some hits early but we'll be around for awhile."
Q: Jonathan Weitz still your No. 1 kicker on shorter field goals?
SWINNEY: "I would let him kick from 50. I'd probably let him do that. He still gives us our best chance right now. Check back with me next week. I'll be here every week.
"His start day in New York was supposed to be next week. I'm thankful we have him. Going into that game, I was just worried about extra points. He's still right now the guy. We'll let both keep competing. Robert has also been battling a sore thigh. We'll see how they do this week. Anything could happen."
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