CLEMSON -- Tuesday morning Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney met with members of the media at his weekly news conference, this time to further discuss his team's double overtime loss to N.C. State last Saturday while also looking ahead to Saturday's night kickoff versus undefeated Boston College.

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The game is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by the ACC Network.

Clemson is a 16-point favorite over the Eagles.

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The following is an abbreviated transcript of Tuesday's presser.

Q: With E.J. Williams not getting many opportunities, does that have something to do with his thumb injury or has it just been more difficult to get it to him?

SWINNEY: "No. Just hasn't had many opportunities and that's incredibly disappointing. Just been hard to get him the ball."

Q: Are you working with D.J. to get him in a position to see the field more?

SWINNEY: "It's not as simple as that. We definitely want to get the ball to our playmakers. We have to do a better job in every area and that's one of them."

Q: What stands out to you about Jeff Hafley as a schemer?

SWINNEY: "They're simple in what they do and they're really good at it. They execute it very well. They're great fundamentally and understand where their stress points are. They're very well-coached."

Q: You said you're going back to fundamentals. Can you expand on that?

SWINNEY: "Sometimes to make progress you have to go backwards. You won't make progress if you're not more disciplined and don't do things with fundamentals. You have to be better at the basics.

"Fundamentals, technique, discipline, ball security, missed assignments ... the basics. They jump out. They beat you. That's the difference. Nobody wants to hear it but the reality is we're two or three less mistakes from being 4-0. We wouldn't be much better as a team but y'all would be asking me different questions. We stunk it up last Saturday but still had a chance to win in double overtime. It's not that far from the penthouse to the outhouse."

Q: Is there someone, maybe a mentor, you reach out to when you're dealing with adversity?

SWINNEY: "I get plenty of people who reach out to me. I get plenty of advice. Ain't no funeral around here. I know what the problems are. I know what the issue is. I just spend time with the people here. We all know where we are and how we got here. It's not complicated. It's very simple actually. But simple things lead to big things."

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Q: How important is it to you to have senior leadership?

SWINNEY: "We have a great group. I love this team. This will be one of my favorite teams. This is a great group of young people. We just have to teach them and grow them up. We're young and inexperienced in some spots, we've lost some players to injuries and lots of challenges but everyone has those things. As far as the group of people? This is a great group. It's unusual around here because we haven't been in this situation for a long time. 2-2 at Clemson is a different experience. Sometimes you have to go backwards to make progress.

"It's one of the best opportunities we have had as coaches to teach and to grow. I laugh at people who act like we haven't had any adversity around here. We were built through adversity. We've had so much success that it's unbelievable. You have to take the good with the bad. We have a great group of talented people who care. Everybody has moments, bad days or bad games. It's how you respond. That's what winners do and we have a bunch on this team. It's disappointing when you don't achieve what you set out to achieve. But ... what are you going to do about it? We've always responded. That's why people storm the fields when we get beat ... because we've always responded.

"A lot of y'all have been on a lot of great bowl trips covering Clemson. 2010 we won six games and I'll never make it here and will never be successful. 2011 and we start out 8-0. They remember November. Unfortunately we didn't get a trophy at 8-0. We gave up 70 in the bowl game. 2012 we went 11-2. We got embarrassed by Florida State in 2013 and lost to South Carolina for a fifth straight time. So we've had some adversity around here. They stormed the field last year at Notre Dame during a pandemic because that's what you do when you beat Clemson.

"Sometimes there are lessons you can teach when you lose that you can't teach when you win. This will make us better. That's just how I think. My perspective comes from my experience and my past. I think perspective is something a lot of people outside of this building don't have. We're going to get better. That's what winners do."

Q: Last night Nick Saban was on with the Mannings talking about his defense, talking about how much more he can do defensively because of experience this year. Is that applicable to your offense now?

SWINNEY: "No question about it. No doubt about it. We've got the little things right. We're very inconsistent to having 11 guys getting the little things right. It's my fault. It's not their fault. Their will to win was special. Most teams would fold the other night. Somehow, someway we had a chance to win. 40 minutes to 18 minutes and we can't get off the field on third down, can't stay on the field and 13 penalties? We've got the big stuff, talent, great people, character but we're just not where we need to be from a fundamental and detail standpoint. We have to get that right first."

Q: When you look at Boston College's offensive front, there aren't many weaknesses.

SWINNEY: "They're all starters, a couple of preseason All-Americans, they're massive. They know all the nuances of that offense. They're crafty. That's what comes with experience. They're a downhill, cohesive unit. We have a big, big challenge. And we have no Bresee or Tyler Davis, so what an opportunity for other guys. They're going to be tested."

Q: When you look at the running back room now, do you lean heavily on Kobe or do you still see opportunities to disperse the opportunities, particularly with Phil Mafah now playing?

SWINNEY: "Mafah can play. We love him. There are so many touches. We were going to hold him but we have to cut him loose. It's time to rock and roll. We've got four guys. It's an opportunity for Mickey Dukes, too. He's a sophomore and hasn't really taken that step yet where he's detailed and consistent. Athletically, physically, he's gifted. Maybe this is an opportunity where he can step up and take advantage. Obviously Rencher is a steady guy that we trust. Again, Mafah is a great young talent."

Q: Your assessment of D.J.'s throwing mechanics and footwork?

SWINNEY: "Inconsistent. Not what he needs to be and not what he will be. At times really good, wow. Go back and watch this game from last year and he was unbelievable. He was special in this game. He can do it. It's just putting it all together. We have to be better around him. Sometimes I think he tries to do too much. Sometimes you get yourself into bad habits. He has made some plays where you go holy cow. Then some of the basics ... we need him to be better, the layups. Let's make those all the time and then we'll worry about the three-point line. He is going to be unbelievable."

Q: Seemed like D.J. worked with more confidence in overtime last weekend.

SWINNEY: "Yes, that's what I love about him. He's got some special stuff inside of him. He just keeps rolling. He did that in the Georgia game. His last quarter, the last five minutes, were really good and that's not always the case with quarterbacks. That's a great sign. He's a young player and he's just working through the development process. As a coach you wish you could snap your fingers but it's not that way. He's going to be a great one. And he knows that. Again, it's not just him. Everyone on offense has been inconsistent."

Q: Tony was talking about hidden layups in the running game yesterday. Can you expand on that?

SWINNEY: "It's decision-making, running the right tracks. It's basic stuff. We do everything right and turn a guy loose up front, then don't come off on the backer. It has been a combination of things. We just have a lot of new moving pieces. I'm frustrated because we should be better. Then you turn the ball over, you have critical penalties, you're not in rhythm and you start pressing. We have the right people. No doubt about that. Those three guys who are out ... I wish we had them but we don't."

Q: Any other changes you're considering up front on offense?

SWINNEY: "Man we're considering everything. You got any eligibility left? Ain't nothing we're not considering because we're just not very good right now. I promise you, people haven't forgotten football around here. We have a challenge on our hands. We're trying everything. Let's not forget about Marcus Tate. He'll be as good as we have had here. When it's all said and done and written, these players are going to leave their mark. Tate will be a great one. Same thing with Paul Tchio and those young bucks who are getting their noses bloodied in the meeting rooms and on the practice field."

Q: Tate working at tackle now?

SWINNEY: "He reps everywhere, tackle and guard. He has done that since he got here. Rayburn got in there. Tchio got in there, too. We'll just keep working.

Q: Is Justin Foster working inside long-term or short-term?

SWINNEY: "It gave us another experienced pass-rusher there (on Saturday vs. NCSU). He's heavy-handed and really understands rush-integrity, gap control and with Tyler being out, it was a result of that. It gave us one more pass-rush guy."

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