CLEMSON -- Sunday evening Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney addressed members of the media in his weekly teleconference, one day after his team notched its second win of the season.
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Ahead of this week's preparation for Louisiana Tech, Swinney took another look at his team's performance versus Furman, individual player performance, injuries, the road ahead and more.
The following is an abbreviated transcript of Sunday evening's teleconference.
OPENING STATEMENTS: "I am proud of our guys on a short week ... two games in five days. We did a lot of good things individually but we still have a lot of work to do. We have to put four quarters together, that's for sure. If we are going to compete for this league (title), we have to do better and play more complementary football. Hopefully we will have a good full week of practice and make some strides.
"Four or five drives to start the first half were touchdowns. We kind of stalled there in the second half. We had penalties, big drops, an interception and the time of possession with the other team defensively we did a poor job of getting the ball back. We had 59 plays, so we were efficient (5.2 a carry and 10.5 a completion). D.J. took another step forward. We had three drops. We did some good things and missed some things, too. No sacks on the offensive line. We only had three negative yards. We just have to keep building.
"Defensively just disappointed. They were 2 of 16 on third down Monday night and 10-of-18 yesterday. Obviously we did not play screens and the quick game well at all. Just a poor start. I did not like how we played defensively at all. We were outstanding in the red zone and goal line. We did create two turnovers, so there are some positives. We did compete, but a tale of two games defensively. We didn't play with the juice that we did Monday night. I'm thankful we have a good week to coach and teach.
"A lot of good individual things but still a lot of room for improvement. And we'll need to do that going forward. Injury-wise, we did ok. Nothing I anticipate being serious."
Q: After watching the film, is it fair to say D.J. had his best game to date?
SWINNEY: "Probably. Statistically. He finished well last year. He did some good things down the stretch last year. He is making plays with his legs, too. Just confident. Good poise in the pocket. We had some good plays down the field, which is a part of our offense we struggled with last year. Nine of our last 11 drives from Georgia Tech (second half) to begin yesterday's game we scored, so that's a positive. I like what DJ is doing. Definitely super proud of D.J. in how he is competing and leading."
Q: With the defense, do you just say hey, we had a rough night or do you see some things you're worried about going forward?
SWINNEY: "We played really well Monday night ... 2 of 16 on third down. We want to give Furman a lot of credit, too. They had a good plan. We didn't do the little things right. We didn't hold leverage and compete and challenge the receivers like we needed to. We turned some guys loose and busted. It'll make us better. I know who we are. I saw it Monday night. We did not play anywhere near what I expect and what I know we are capable of. That was disappointing. Too many easy throws and easy access. Nothing that we cannot fix."
Q: Cade fit a nice pass into a tight window against Georgia Tech and tried it again yesterday. Do you see him do that frequently in practice? And is that something you feel good about?
SWINNEY: "That was definitely not a good decision. As far as his confidence and ability to make plays, I feel good about that. The more he plays, the more he will learn and grow. For sure."
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Q: Heard a lot of great things about the offensive line in camp, but it has been a mixed bag so far. How do you get them to take that next step going forward?
SWINNEY: "They took another step this week. We were 5.2 a carry. We just have to keep playing. It will be nice to have a full week of practice this week. The more tape you have of live action, you can improve. We've given up one sack in two games. We've done some good things there. D.J. has gotten more confident in the pocket. We have to keep playing and working together."
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Q: Was it surprising that you didn't have that intensity defensively?
SWINNEY: "Yeah. Yeah, for sure. I just didn't think we played with the energy and passion that we did Monday night. That's my responsibility to make sure we have that."
Q: How is Xavier Thomas progressing? Does he play this week?
SWINNEY: "He's progressing well. I don't really know ... to answer your question. We have a long week ahead. We'll see."
Q: Adam Randall's status for this weekend?
SWINNEY: "I think he is going to be green-lighted and ready to go. It will be good to get him back. We'll have him on some type of pitch count, I'm sure. He will be cleared to play this week. I'm excited about getting him back in the fold."
Q: What do you expect from Adam? What does he bring to the offense?
SWINNEY: "He's tough. He's a big, strong, body. I'm thankful he was able to get a lot of spring practice in. He does have a visual of what it looks like and what he can do. He just has to work his way back into good playing shape. He brings a great competitiveness. He's a big, strong, body who can run. He's not going to make us worse, that's for sure. I don't expect him to show up and be in midseason form either. We have to be smart with him."
Q: In camp, you mentioned running the hot hand at running back at times. Thus far, have you been pleased with what you have seen from the position?
SWINNEY: "Yes. We only had 59 plays (yesterday). That's just the product of what we did defensively in the second half. We just didn't get the ball back and missed on some opportunities. The opening series, bam bam, Shipley did well. They all have done what I thought they would do. Maybe someone completely separates. I don't foresee a situation where we will not need all three. They're all good players. We did miss a block, got a quarterback hit and had a drop at running back, so there is room for improvement. But they're all three great kids and competitors."
Q: Will Putnam, how did he grade? And how would you assess the line's communication to this point?
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SWINNEY: "Good. There were a couple of schematic things we had a little challenge with that we have to clean up as coaches. There were a couple of good schemes Furman had that will make us better. Will graded really well. Trent Howard got in there for about 10 snaps. No real issues other than Monday night in that first game ... the low snap and the one hot snap. Other than that, really good so far for Will here in his first year."
Q: Do you think Blake Miller bounced back?
SWINNEY: "Yep. He did. He's not going to win the Outland Trophy just yet but he played better. I was proud of him. He made some really good strides. That's what I wanted to see. He's a very talented young man and has a lot of bright days ahead. He cares a lot. A really good, winning performance."
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