Swinney on Notre Dame, Louisville, XT, DJU, faith, the road ahead

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CLEMSON -- Tuesday morning Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney met with members of the media at his weekly news conference, this time to talk more about his team's lopsided loss to Notre Dame over the weekend, injuries, a week of preparation ahead and of course Saturday's opponent - Atlantic Division member Louisville.

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

OPENING STATEMENTS: "We're coming off a very tough weekend. I'm proud of our guys at the end of the day. We won 14 in a row, which is hard to do. It didn't go our way the other night and I give Notre Dame credit for that. We missed an opportunity for sure. 14 in a row is the third-longest streak in the history of our program. We've always responded. The good news is we have another opportunity this week. We're a better team than we showed the other night. We're 8-1 and not 5-3. Every goal we have is intact. Everything is attainable to this team. There's only one thing that we can't have and that's being undefeated. But very few teams are undefeated. You want to win every game and it's hard to do that. It's all about responding and getting back to work.

"When we fail, we fail in front of the world. That's a tough thing, especially when you're dealing with young people. Let's refocus. With the right perspective, you take ownership, get focused and get back to work. That's why we've been so successful around here for a long time. I love how we responded yesterday (in practice) and our staff on Sunday.

"Louisville is a good team, a big challenge. They're a fast, physical team, a veteran team on both sides of the ball. They have won four in a row. They're very confident. Offensively, they are balanced, explosive and their quarterback is special and dynamic. He's a problem. He's a great competitor. They have three great backs, another good offensive line and receivers who can make plays.

"Defensively, they're very aggressive. They're second in the nation in sacks. They're right there in the top ten in tackles for loss. They're second in the nation in takeaways. They create turnovers.

"No. 1 thing for us ... we have to take care of the ball. It's No. 1 in our plan to win. We had three turnovers in seven games and then we've had six in the last two. It's not complicated to see what happens when you do that. We have to correct that and get back on track. We just have to respond in all areas like a good team does. And that is my expectation. The last time we lost a game, we went on a 14-game win streak. The goal is to start another streak."

Q: Looking at the film, were there some things that you saw that just further jumped out at you?

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SWINNEY: "We physically got our butts kicked. We didn't take care of the ball. They blocked a punt on the opening possession. Momentum, turnovers ... it's hard to turn that on the road. Now, I'm proud of our guys. We're 4-1 on the road this year. We had a bad night. We're 8-1 on the season. That was one to forget, though. We didn't play well. We're better than that. We know that. That one's over."

Q: How do you frame the quarterback situation now?

SWINNEY: "D.J. played his worst game against Syracuse for sure. He has played well up to that. He's 19-5 as a starter. He did not play well at Notre Dame. He played better but he did not play well. He doesn't punt-protect and he's not asked to stop the run. I love how he competed. Now, he has to play better and get back on track. That's just the reality of the situation. We've watched every play with him. If you don't play better, someone else gets a chance."

Q: Will Cade's playing time in the future hinge on what D.J. does or do you just get him more opportunities regardless?

SWINNEY: "We need to get him more opportunities. He hasn't really had that. We've put him in some tough situations. And that was a tough play the other night. And he'll learn from that. Definitely we have a lot of confidence in him. He's a great, young, player. When you've won 14 in a row and you have someone who is your leader who has a bad game, you don't panic and you keep moving. This past week he didn't play bad but he didn't play well. We need him to play well. It'll be a big day on Saturday. All of us need to do well, players and coaches. Only thing worse than 8-1 is 8-2. We want to get to 9-1 and be who I know we are."

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Q: You said that Monday was going to be a big day. You said you wanted to see the look in your players' eyes. What did you see yesterday at practice?

SWINNEY: "Hurt. A hurt group, a mad group. I saw what I wanted to see. I saw players take ownership. It's about us now helping them have the right perspective. As I said yesterday, the team that beat us is Notre Dame. They lost three games but have responded. They bounced back. LSU lost to Florida State. We beat Florida State at their place. Now, LSU is one of the better teams in the country. That's what good teams do. That's what good staffs do. You have to have the right perspective when you go back to work. If you don't, those bad moments define you. It hurts because we went 10 weeks without a loss. We made it to week 10 without a loss and we had a bad day. Nobody wins every game forever. You regroup, you have the right perspective because if you don't, so much gets into kids' heads.

"And hey, have some fun. You can't let things steal your joy. There are too many people in this profession who allow that. Their joy is defined by what happens on a scoreboard. That's just not a good thing. It's not healthy. My joy is not defined by that. I love what I do and I love this team, but my joy is doing what I do. I hurt and my players hurt but you can't let the hurt be greater than the hope. We all have challenges and setbacks. We've had one undefeated team since I've been here. You lose one game and some people lose their minds. They want you to get fired and fire everybody and get rid of your players. It's such a sad thing.

"I don't grow weary. I grow stronger. I'm excited about having a good Tuesday practice. Ain't nothing going to steal my joy. If people can't get on board with that, they're missing a lot of opportunities. If you're only going to be happy if we only win a national championship, then you're going to be down in the dumps and in the gutter. We went 35 years without a national championship. I know this; we're changing a lot of lives around here. That's what it is all about. Never lose your joy in that. We have to enjoy what we are doing. It's important for me and our young souls and hearts that we all take ownership but also learn and grow and keep striving.

"Good news is it wasn't the end of our season. We don't have to wait until next year. We get to play this Saturday and we get to do it in the best venue in college football. We're going to have a lot more good days than bad days. That's for sure."

Q: What are some of the stress points Malik Cunningham will put on your defense?

SWINNEY: "You name it. Last year he had a 52-yard touchdown on a zone-read. He can rip it down the field. He can dance around and create and extend, so you have to cover forever. He's fearless. Last year fourth and one and the game could be over. He makes a throw and I still don't know how he made that play. He threw it to a guy on the sideline who made a play between two people. I have a lot of respect for him as a competitor. He's a great young man. He's like Lamar. He can beat you in every way possible. He stresses how you play him, how you rush him and defend him. They take a lot of shots, too. There is a lot of misdirection. It's a very balanced team."

Q: How much do you change your personnel for a QB who can extend plays?

SWINNEY: "We always have packages that we carry from week to week throughout the year and it depends on who the player is. With a guy like this, you better have plan A, plan B and plan C."

Q: What was the hardest part for D.J. yesterday watching the Notre Dame game?

SWINNEY: "Just watching it and taking ownership of it. Just some basic things that we didn't do. Just getting back going. Hardest thing is getting back up and dusting yourself off. Let's put the tape in and watch it as a family and make sure we're all on the same page.

"We haven't had many losses around here, thank God. When we have, we have responded. We're people. I am not perfect. No coach here is perfect. We cannot let bad moments define us. A lot of people do and they don't get better. You're always building. You keep growing and learning. We've won two national championships in six years. You keep believing in what you are doing. You know what reality is and what perception is and you live in reality. You're truthful and transparent with your players."

Q: Is the physical part of the Notre Dame game what differentiates this one being such a bad day?

SWINNEY: "Yes, yes, because they physically beat us."

Q: Tyler Davis said yesterday it's a mentality.

SWINNEY: "It is. It's a mentality. And Tyler played well. Davis Allen had a great game. But as a team we weren't anywhere near what we needed to be. Six turnovers in two games, we're lucky to be 1-1 instead of 0-2."

Q: Xavier Thomas, how is he feeling right now?

SWINNEY: "He's good. He's been encouraging to me actually. We don't always understand why things happen. Man, I'm just really proud of who he is and how mature he is. He is a transformed person from when I met him at 16 years of age to who he is now as a man and getting ready to be married. He's grown in his faith tremendously. He's going to be fine. It's going to be disappointing but God's plan is always bigger than our plan and it doesn't always line up the way we plan it. He's going to be fine. It's not like he's dealing with a torn ACL. It just didn't work out. And he tried. He gave it all he had. It just wasn't meant to be. He literally hurdled the back on a Wednesday practice. One thing I can say about him is that he gave every ounce of everything that he had.

"It's a setback. Between the doctors, what's best for him ... he could probably come back and finish this thing out. We have to do what's best for him and he'll make a decision (on whether to return in 2023). He's only 22. You've got guys playing college football who are 25. He's still young and it's still all in front of him. He does have an option to come back. I'd take him back for sure. He can go on and go pro, too. I have no doubt he'll get drafted. In his mind, he hasn't been able to be the best version of himself. He's got a bright future ahead of him on and off the field. He has a lot of football left to play."

Q: Jake Briningstool has one catch in the last four games. Your take on that?

SWINNEY: "It comes down to substitutions at times. Jake has had plenty of opportunities at times but the ball hasn't come his way or maybe he didn't do something he needed to do. But we definitely need to get him going."

Q: An update on Beaux Collins?

SWINNEY: "He separated his shoulder. He'll be fine. It'll be week to week. He's definitely out (Saturday)."

Q: Is Kobe Pace back?

SWINNEY: "He was working back in a little yesterday. We'll see where he is as we get into competitive work. He did a lot last week in practice. The goal this week was to work him back into practice."

Q: Will Fred Davis be available?

SWINNEY: "Not sure. He's battling an ankle injury."

Q: Some of the loudest voices out there say that you aren't tough enough publicly or that you don't challenge your players and assistant coaches enough publicly. What do you say to that?

SWINNEY: "I can't waste an ounce of brainpower on that. How many programs have won two national titles over the last six years? No one has their head in the sand. I'm very well aware of every issue that we have but I also know who we are and what we are about. I know what we are built on. I am led by my faith and what is right in my spirit. When it's time for me to change something, it is spirit-led. It's not Internet-led or fan-led. I wouldn't be standing here in front of you if I was driven by that stuff."

Q: What is the identity of your offense nine games in?

SWINNEY: "Up until two games ago it was an offense that was really good on third down, scoring, an offense taking care of the football, an offense that led the nation in red zone scoring. We're still top five there. All of those things, but we have to get back to doing what we need to do. We are built to run the football. We have been able to do that. We have responded in all situations outside of this past game."

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