CLEMSON -- Tuesday morning Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney again addressed members of the media at his weekly news conference, this time ahead of the Tigers' Saturday matchup with Pittsburgh.
BECOME A SUBSCRIBER AT TIGERILLUSTRATED.com!
Clemson (7-2, 6-1) is a 10-point favorite over Pitt (7-2, 3-2).
ALSO SEE: Tuesday Clemson Football Nuggets | How Pitt's starters were ranked as recruits | Tuesday Insider | MONDAY INSIDER | Sammy Brown making the case | Clemson impresses new Georgia defensive end offer | Clemson's verbal commitments | Clemson's junior commitments
The following is an abbreviated transcript of Tuesday's presser.
OPENING STATEMENTS: "Another really tough challenge again this week with a gritty, well-coached, Pitt team who has had a great year. They're coming off a close loss against Virginia where they had a couple of their key players hurt.
"This is a typical Pat Narduzzi-coached team. All of his teams are tough and gritty. He has a great staff. It's a great place to go play a game. We didn't get a good result the last time we were up there. I have a lot of respect for their program.
"They have one of the top offenses in the country. They're throwing the ball all over the park. A lot of tempo. They have some electric players, receivers and tight ends involved. They have an absolute rocket in the backfield who can do it all. He's fifth in the country in all-purpose yardage. This is a really, really good team that will challenge you. You're going to see a lot of RPOs, zone-reads, the ball is out quick ... so we have to do a great job. We want to create consistency down the stretch defensively, but it's easier said than done. This is a physical group up front on offense. Both quarterbacks are good players. I don't know what Holstein's status is. We just always assume everyone is playing.
"Defensively, they are aggressive and have a million pressures. They stress you from an ID standpoint. They're hoping you ID the wrong guys because they have a bunch of players coming free. They're top 15 in the country in rush defense by nature of what they do. It's another physical group up front. They will get after the passer and they're downhill with their back seven. They challenge you physically to make competitive plays.
"We're looking forward to it. It's a noon game and looks like we'll have some good weather. It's an opportunity for us. It's our last conference game. If we can finish 7-1 in the league after 4-4 last year, that would be great improvement for us year-over-year."
Q: Any feel for Tate and Tristan Leigh now?
SWINNEY: "They're truly day to day. We thought Tate was going to play until breakfast last week. Leigh, structually, everything is OK. He's just day to day."
Q: Is Tyler Brown improving? Is he close?
SWINNEY: "Yep. He could probably be ready by the South Carolina game. We may try to get his year back if we can hold him. We have 18 days left in the season, so we'll see how it all plays out. It would be great for him if we could hold the year. He'll certainly be available for postseason."
Q: Capehart still out?
SWINNEY: "Yes he's out. He's out this week for sure."
Q: Looking back at the rush defense last week versus the Louisville game, in hindsight do you wish you would have done anything differently?
SWINNEY: "No. We just did it better. Different mentality. Different mindset. So no."
Q: Adam Randall had just three snaps Saturday. How can he increase his role going forward?
SWINNEY: "The week before Cole hardly played any snaps. Some series are longer than others. He's missed some games but he's made some big plays for us. It's just kind of how that game went from a personnel standpoint. It's just week to week on how all that stuff plays out."
Q: Will you start Sammy Brown again this week? Or does some of what Pitt will do impact that?
SWINNEY: "It'll be based on what Pitt is doing. They're an 11-personnel team. He certainly has to have an opportunity to play and he deserves that. Kobe was really our third guy coming into the season. Now, where we are, we feel good about it. Dee Crayton is really improved. Jamal has improved. You haven't seen it quite as much on the field. Sammy, as the game has slowed down, has just taken off. He's in a really good place. We feel good about this group especially when we'll have Kobe back.
"We redshirted Drew Woodaz and Kubah-Taylor. With where we are now with a few games left, we have some guys available who can give us some depth on special teams. But Sammy, Barrett and Woodaz ... it's nice to have some functional depth down the stretch."
Q: Do you talk at all to your team about being the first team in the ACC to potentially reach seven conference wins? Does that factor into your messaging?
SWINNEY: "Not specifically about that. We've talked about how great it would be to get to 7-1. That's the best we can finish at this point, so that's what we can control. We were 4-4 in the league a year ago. So to get better and to have a much better conference record, we've put ourselves in position. We're still in the thick of it. We don't control what other teams are doing, but we focus on what we can control."
Q: Hampton came in for Terrell on the third drive last Saturday. Are you trying to spread things out a bit?
SWINNEY: "It wasn't just Terrell. Hampton was in for everybody. You can't control how series are going to go. It might be three plays or 12 plays. We did go into the game really hoping to have a three-man rotation and with Ashton playing a good bit. He has made a lot of progress. His confidence has grown. He's got great practice habits. He's on his way. He can play anything. It's what we loved about him in the recruiting process ... corner, safety, nickel. He is unique. I'm excited about his progress.
"With Shelton out, who was our fourth corner, we're trying to force the issue. And Jeadyn is banged up, too. A full practice and a half last week, he was out. So it was good for Ashton to have that kind of game.
"Gipson is finally healthy. He's got two games left. Really excited about the progress he has made."
Q: What makes Phil Mafah so consistent even when the rest of your offense isn't producing at the level you'd prefer?
SWINNEY: "The offensive line. It doesn't happen without those guys up front and the decisions that Cade makes, especially post-snap. Mafah would be the first to tell you. Phil is just steady. He's just a smart player and he understands patience. He understands the run schemes and understands defense. He's just a really talented player."
Q: Would you like to have more Jay Haynes with him just getting seven snaps over the last two games?
SWINNEY: "Mo Mafah, mo better. I ain't worried about anything else. This is the championship phase, man. We have all the confidence in the world in other guys. Why would we want to take Mafah out? He's a horse, man. Games are on the line. We're trying to win the game and we have our best players in the game. We love Jay Haynes. We love Eziomume. We love Keith Adams. Mafah is just our best player. He's been on that sideline enough. This is his time. He has come through for us in a big way. So mo Mafah."
Q: You said last night you felt Cade had his worst game ... as a quarterback at Virginia Tech. Can you elaborate on that?
SWINNEY: "From the quarterback position. It was as good a game as he has ever had from a leadership standpoint. He's never been better. It was freaking awesome. A++. He's really grown as a leader. He has an awesome will to win. As far as just quarterback play, I thought it was his worst game as far as the things that he needs to do. He took four sacks and every one of them were on him and none of them should have happened. He just tried to do too much. Just a couple of plays where he didn't pull the trigger. The best part was that we didn't have to tell him. I asked him how he thought he played. He said he thought it was his worst game. The other stuff? We don't win that game without that. His running ability has change everything for us this year.
Q: What do you attribute to your slow start on offense at Virginia Tech?
SWINNEY: "We didn't finish plays. We took a grounding. We hand it to Mafah and overcome it and Mafah runs to the 15. Well Antonio is holding. Penalties, critical penalties. Then we get the interception and we have no points. We come back another drive and we jumped off-sides and yet we throw the ball out of bounds on a free play. We just did not execute. Just precision and penalties and drops. If y'all watch the game, it's pretty easy to see. We have to finish drives and we didn't do that. Critical, critical, missed opportunities.
"We had another good drive and then we have a blocked field goal. It was very frustrating to have the ball for 20 minutes in the first half but with zero points. That's not a good recipe for success. We lost Tristan right out of the gate. Marcus was gone. We had no sacks given up by the offensive line. We were there. We just didn't finish. In the second half, we scored on four of seven positions and should have had a fifth one. Our defense was great for four quarters. Offensively, we moved the ball all night but didn't finish."
Q: How about this linebacker for Pitt who leads the team in sacks and interceptions? That's a rare combination.
SWINNEY: "Probably their most productive guy and they bring him from everywhere. They have dudes coming from everywhere. Sometimes its pre-snap, sometimes it's post-snap. That's just who they are. He's a big factor in making it all go for them. He's outisde the box, inside the box ... definitely one of their best players."
Q: Given how hard they make it to execute consistently down the field, how important will it be for your offense to have explosive plays this weekend?
SWINNEY: "Very important to do that. You don't win the game unless you have some explosives. There will be some hold-your-breath moments. It's body on body. You have to be accurate and finish competitive plays. If you can get the ball in space, you have a chance to break some tackles. It'll be a physical game with our skill people vs. their skill people. The ball has to be accurate. Cade has to be a huge factor. They'll take some chances. It's hard to be perfect against these guys with how they bring people. Cade will have to make some plays with his legs. You have an opportunity there with some off-schedule plays."
Q: What are some of the best tactics you've used over the years to keep players loose with so much on the line?
SWINNEY: "You don't do anything different whether it's a regular season game or a national championship. It shouldn't be different. You create consistency in your routine and prepare and practice to a standard every day. When you get to game day, you're ready. It does not matter who you play. It matters how you play. When you focus on all that stuff, external factors, you let it determine your focus and preparation, you'll be very inconsistent. We don't try to do anything any different. We just focus on our practice habits, how we meet, how we prepare in our tape (review) and we don't make it any more than that."
Join Tigerillustrated.com subscribers on The West Zone message board!
Q: Is Elyjah capable of playing guard now?
SWINNEY: "Oh yeah. He has played guard. He can play center. We haven't played him there yet. He is a really special talent. You don't ever know until you start coaching a guy. Where are they mentally? This kid is really smart. He understands the game and has played five positions, so he sees things differently. He's just a natural. It's really going to serve him well."
Q: It seems like every week in college football, a couple of power conferences have these big showdown games where even the loser is still in the picture. Doesn't seem to be the case in the ACC. Does that tick you off some?
SWINNEY: "Honestly, I don't get into that stuff. I'm just focused on trying to have a good Tuesday practice. We just played a really tough Virginia Tech team. Every game for them, every loss, has been a touchdown game. This is a good league. Honestly, anybody can beat anybody on any given day. Just when you think you know, you don't. There is a lot of parity. As far as wasting energy and worrying about all that other stuff, I don't waste any time on that. This is a great league and we have a lot of great coaches."
Q: A few weeks from now you have an earlier signing day. Has it changed the way you do things?
SWINNEY: "No, it hasn't. I think it's great because it cleans some things up and you can go ahead and get your class signed. We don't really have a lot of spots open on our roster. We like the group that we have. You may have some guys leave and you can see who's back. The only guys slated to leave on defense are Payton, RJ and Barrett. Offensively, it's Tate, Mafah and Briningstool. Aidan Swanson has to go. So we don't have a lot of spots. It cleans things up so you can address your future and then you can move forward. I'm glad that they left some time in the spring (portal). Roster-wise, we like our guys."
Q: What's a number you're chasing for this recruiting class?
SWINNEY: "It's fluid. We're over the spots that we have right now. We feel great about our roster and the guys who will be back with the development we have seen. We like the class that we're getting ready to put together. They're coming in here and will fill some spots as well."
Q: So Collin Sadler is definitely done for the year?
BECOME A SUBSCRIBER AT TIGERILLUSTRATED.com!
SWINNEY: "Yes he's out. He's got to have surgery. We thought he might be able to get back, but it wasn't getting better so he had to have the surgery. I feel terrible because he busted his butt and tried to play. He was a starter for us. We already lost Ian Reed out of the gate. And we're trying to hold Mason Wade. Next thing you know Sadler is done, Tate is out and Tristan is out. So you have Blake and Elyjah. It was impressive to see what Elyjah did. He has stayed ready all year. Great job by Matt Luke, too, in getting him ready. I'm proud of Elyjah."
SHOP daily DEALS on Clemson apparel/gear at The Tiger Fan Shop HERE!
