CLEMSON | Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney met with members of the media Tuesday as part of his weekly news conference, this time to talk more about his team's first win of the season as well as look ahead to Saturday's conference opener versus Georgia Tech.

ALSO SEE: Tuesday Insider Notes | Monday Clemson Football Nuggets | Monday Insider | Clemson's verbal commitments

The Tigers, who have won six in a row versus the Yellow Jackets, will kick off against the Coastal Division member in Death Valley at 3:30 p.m. ET. Clemson is a 28.5-point favorite.

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

OPENING STATEMENTS: "Every week is really a season of its own. That's how we look at it. A lot of opportunity ahead. I'm excited about ACC play. We have seven straight conference games. The next goal for us is to win the division. We have a lot of improving to do to be the type of team that we want to be.

"Our next challenge is Georgia Tech and they are a much-improved team. You can see that belief growing. They are committed. They have seven guys back on offense, three of them up front. Their back is a special player. A good challenge for our defense.

"Defensively they have 10 guys who have started at least five games. Their strength is their secondary. Everyone is back. They also have a good transfer in at middle backer. They're not huge up front but they play big and tough. They give you a lot of different things from a coverage standpoint.

"We are excited to be back here in the Valley. It is a sellout. We spend all year preparing for this day. To see the stadium come to life is a special day.

"Injury-wise is Dietrick Pennington tore his ACL, so he is going to be out. A big disappointment there. He will be a great, great player. He would have been a difference-maker for us as the season wore on. I hate that for him but he was able to get through camp and can red-shirt. He will be back better than ever. That's three big losses for us on the offensive line. John Williams was going to help us as well. We lost Tayquon Johnson and he was going to help us, too. We have to keep moving forward."

Q: When you look at Ga. Tech, can you tell the difference in recruiting at this point?

SWINNEY: "They are doing a good job of recruiting and have also gotten some key transfer guys in there. They have a belief in what they are doing. They have bought in to what they are doing. This is a really challenging situation. You're changing an entire schematic deal that had been in place for a long, long time. You can definitely see the improvement."

Q: Is it hard to get a read on who they're going to play at quarterback?

SWINNEY: "Yes because we don't know. We have played against Simms, but with him getting hurt, we don't really know where he's at. We don't know if he's going to play. They're going to do what they do regardless but there is a different emphasis with the other one. Yates is a winner, savvy, a state championship-winning quarterback. He is very consistent. He runs well. Simms is maybe a better runner and is also a gunslinger. He can rip it. We just have to prepare for what they do and adjust."

Q: Any particular difficulty in getting ready for a team that doesn't come out with a depth chart?

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SWINNEY: "Well, we've got tape. We've got two games on tape and we know who was there last year. It's really hard on an opener."

Q: Were you able to watch some of the NFL this past weekend?

SWINNEY: "Not much Sunday. I saw some highlights. I get the updates. Clay usually fills me in. Nuk had a great day. Tee had a touchdown. I think Mike Williams had a big day. I did get to see some of the Raiders last night. I was trying to go to bed and then I couldn't go to bed. Both teams kept screwing it up. That was a wild one but it was so fun. Sammy and Renfrow had a big game. Big John Simpson was in there getting a start at guard. It's always fun to see Lamar Jackson play. I have mad respect for him. He's as difficult a player as we have ever had to prepare for."

Q: Still expect Nolan Turner to be able to go on Saturday?

SWINNEY: "Yes, we do. Yes."

Q: How do you evaluate your running game from last Saturday?

SWINNEY: "Was our communication better? We had some miscues we need to correct. The biggest thing I was looking for, I saw. We had a lot of guys who graded as winners. We had a lot of fundamental improvement. We got the back to the second level without him being touched a lot. They got better in their execution up front. The backs did an awesome job. We didn't give the backs much opportunity in the first game."

Q: You've talked about Will Taylor since he got here. Where have you seen the most growth in him?

SWINNEY: "He's just learning what to do. We have been trying to teach him the foundation of the offense from a quarterback perspective. We want to grow him into another role. He has never played receiver, but his skill set is really special for it. He's just gotten the big picture. He's a baller. He's one of those kids that gets it. The moment is never too big for him. I think Tony Elliott nicknamed him Maverick. He's a cool dude. Confident. He's unique."

Q: Has he made a case for expanding his role on offense?

SWINNEY: "We'll continue to work to get him opportunities. There are some things we can use him with. We'll continue to involve him, but not overwhelm him. Eventually, he's going to be one of those guys we can school up."

Q: How valuable is it to have both Pace and Shipley at back, two different styles?

SWINNEY: "We have at running back what we have at defensive end ... a bunch of guys who can start for us. We have three guys who can start for us. We thought that for sure in camp. Kobe had a great spring and summer. He's explosive and physical. He's disciplined and committed. Same thing with Shipley. He is a Swiss army knife. He's powerful and relentless for every single yard. He runs through trash. They can all catch the ball. Lyn-J has great experience and makes big plays. All three are going to help us. Wait until you see Phil Mafah. He's as good as anyone we have. We're just trying to create some separation."

Q: After the UGA game, you said Ruke showed that he really belonged. How much patience and perseverence did you see from him?

SWINNEY: "A lot. When we signed him, we knew he was a project. He was a soccer player and a basketball player with two years of football under his belt. He had so much to learn. He red-shirts and was nowhere near ready. Last year he got hurt. He just kept grinding and working. The best part is while he was not playing, he was learning and still developing. He was mentally preparing himself. He was paying attention. I saw it this spring. I felt in the spring he had a good chance to be a really good player. He and Skalski were our players of the game. He has played two games. He has a bright future. I love everything about what he brings to the table."

Q: You mentioned Will Putnam Sunday. What did he do to earn one of your player-of-the-game distinctions from Saturday?

SWINNEY: "Putnam had a great camp. He's a grinder, through-the-whistle type of guy. He didn't play well in the UGA game. He didn't play with good technique but bounced back this past weekend. He graded great. He was very consistent and clean."

Q: Your evaluation of offensive line depth 6-9 right now?

SWINNEY: "I hate we lost John early but at least it was in camp. Tayquon same thing. He would have been a guy to help us. I think he made one day and he was out. Dietrick is a big blow. He was on his way to really becoming a consistent contributor for us and a big-time depth guy (early).

"We're going to get Mason Trotter back. He will be clubbed up for awhile on his right hand. He is a very functional player. That's how he got here. He's a tough, strong, fundamentally-sound guy. Mitchell Mayes played really well this past week. He's had a really good camp. The arrow is up by his name. Paul Tchio can really do it. He's just still developing consistency. We really like Trent Howard. He's still developing physically. He has four years left and will be a good player. Rayburn is a putty guy right now. He's a big athlete who brings some good things to the group. We are a lot better than we were this time last year. That's for sure."

Q: Johnson definitely out for the year?

SWINNEY: "Yes. Maybe postseason would be a best-case scenario. But yes."

Q: Who are the main candidates now to back up Putnam?

SWINNEY: "Trotter. Rayburn. The same guys. Tchio can also play guard. Those guys all cross-train. Trent Howard and Bryn Tucker can as well. Tucker is making some improvement as well."

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