CLEMSON -- Late Tuesday morning Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney again addressed members of the media at his weekly news conference, this time ahead of his team's Saturday opponent - Wake Forest. The No. 10-ranked Tigers (4-1, 3-0) will square off against the Demon Deacons (2-3, 1-1) in Winston-Salem (N.C.) on Saturday at high noon.
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The following is an abbreviated transcript of Swinney's Tuesday presser.
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OPENING STATEMENTS: "Good morning. I'm excited for us to have another opportunity for us to keep getting better. Wake Forest plays hard and it's a very well-coached team under Dave Clawson.
"Offensively, their scheme is unique. There are a lot of things that challenge you from a discipline standpoint, option-type principles, a bunch of shots and you have to win competitive plays. We were very fortunate to win that game up there two years ago. I have a lot of respect for Wake and how hard they play and how well coached they are. It was 10-6 here in the fourth quarter last year. It's always a hard-fought battle. I don't expect anything different.
"They have a new quarterback. He's 25 or so and has played a lot of football and it's very obvious when you watch him. He's 220 pounds. He's a good runner and a willing runner. He's impressive when you watch him on tape. Every year we play them, they always have one of the best receiver groups we face. They're tough and they block and they understand their scheme. Nothing is different. They have a bunch of guys who can run routes and finish plays. They get after you up front and they're physical.
"Defensively, a lot of these guys we have seen. They are a penetrating defense. They move and get off the ball. They give you a lot of different looks. They will force you to put drives together. They will also challenge you to make competitive plays. They know how to execute their scheme. This is one of the best-coached teams we play every year. We have to play well to have a chance to win. We're looking to continue to grow our team. Great teams win on the road and great teams also continue to get better. I want to see us be able to grow our team and clean up some execution and build on some of the mistakes we have learned from. We want to play a complete game. We have a lot of room for improvement."
Q: You have talked about the windshield mentality. Did you show your team clips of the Vanderbilt - Alabama game?
SWINNEY: "Back in the old days you would but not now. They're telling me about it. They had already seen it. I didn't know until I got in the locker room. College football did us a favor. If you pay attention to what people say on the outside like you're suppose to win ... this isn't a game of suppose to. It's a game of what you do. It's a game of performance. We have created that windshield mentality for years. You create consistency in your preparation and it's not an easy thing to establish. These are kids and there are a lot of things going on outside that can distract you. You have to show up and play every week. You can't play to a record. Last week Florida State was 1-4. You better show up or you'll get beat. You have to block all of it out.
"We celebrate what happens or we learn from mistakes. But you have to reset. You'll all write about what we do good or bad. So let's focus on what we do and not on what someone predicts. It's always about what's next. The best of the best ... that's what they do. It's always about what it takes to do it again.
"It's hard to win and it's harder to win consistently and it's hard to win when you are expected to win. Other teams pay attention to these things. Everybody has good coaches. For us, it's a big message. We're just 4-1. We ain't done nothing. We're just 4-1. That's it. We've just created some opportunities for ourselves. That's it.
"There have been some things with this team where I've had a lot of opportunities to talk about that. A lot of these guys haven't had opportunities to do some of the things they want. This team has given me a chance to teach some of that. You don't have many guys here who have been in a playoff. They're eager, though. They're about the right things. We've had good preparation every week. We have great leadership. We just have to have that daily focus. We have to handle success and adversity in games. We want to continue to create consistency."
Q: About the other night, what do you want to see from your defense when you're up 23-7?
SWINNEY: "We gave them a couple of big play opportunities late. We needed to be a little smarter in a couple of those situations where we exposed ourselves. In that situation they needed big plays. They didn't have time to just grind it out. The calls were good but we didn't execute the technique like we needed to. That's just football awareness. We have to have situational awareness of what's going on in the game. We have to win the game. We have to respond to what's happening in the game. That's just coaching and teaching and guys having more savvy there."
Q: Any expectations for Harris Sewell and Stephilyan Green being back?
SWINNEY: "Both are working their way back. They're both day to day and trending in the right direction."
Q: With Antonio Williams having a career performance on Saturday, how have you seen him develop and exceed expectations since he got here?
SWINNEY: "He's always been a skilled kid. Early on he had some really good success early as a freshman. I'm not sure that was great for him. He has had a lot of hard coaching. There's so much more there than what he did as a freshman. I think he had some growing up to do and how to be a complete player at the position and how to become a craftsman.
"This guy has been unbelievable. He struggled in mat drills his first year. It was bad. But he came back and he crushed it. He was one of the best we had. He was one of the best leaders we had in the off-season. He wants coaching. He's a product of buying in. He knows what it takes to be great. He's not 6-4, 215. To maximize what he has, he has put the work in. He plays fast. He has grown with his fundamentals and technique and his understanding of the game and route-running, break point technique, release technique and understanding of the defense.
"He's on his way to becoming a pro. He's got natural ball skills and is very confident. Confidence comes from putting the work in. He has become a great leader in that room and a guy that everyone respects and looks to. He is much more of a complete player than he has ever been since he's been here. He's really taken ownership of the punt return game. It will be a part of his game as he moves forward in his career. He's a heck of a player. He could play for anybody. I'm glad we've got him. I'm proud of him but he's got more he can do."
Q: With TJ and Bryant, does that experience with Antonio impact how you're able to teach them too?
SWINNEY: "Yes. No question. That's the way it should be . If your freshmen are your starters every year, that's probably not good. It's not that they can't be great players as freshmen. We've got a really good wide receiver room, a lot of guys who can make plays. Tyler Brown ... y'all will eventually talk about him more. He's just been battling getting back. Hopefully he can have a full week of practice this week and take a step forward.
"Our wide receiver room is selfless. We have Adam back which is amazing. He was ready to go last week. I was nervous about it. I'm glad we didn't need him.
"We've got a bunch of guys who like each other . I think we have seven guys with T.J. now who can start. That's how we look at that group. We have some flexibility in how we can position guys. We're able to bring those freshmen along at a good, healthy pace and that's good for their development and their future. It's been a couple of years in the works."
Q: You mentioned that you are a tough grader when you grade your team. How are your film sessions with Cade when going over tape?
SWINNEY: "It's what is his command of the offense? Decision-making? How did he see the field? How did he carry out his fakes? How did he lead, how did he respond ... all kinds of things. You look at fundamental technicial stuff to decision-making.
"We give them a numerical grade . We have a winning performance. A defensive tackle, 75-percent is a winning grade. We have a winning standard at every position. Some positions it's 85 and up. We don't expect guys to be perfect but we need consistency in their performance. You're looking for consistent performers. That's how you grow and create accountability. We have a lot of accountability within our coaching staff but also with the players. And our players want that feedback. Most of the time, they know before they get in here. They all want to grade as a winner.
"Cade, from last year to this year, it's night and day. He's rushed for 185 yards in the last four games. That's more than he rushed for all of last year. The game has slowed down. He plays at a different pace now than what he was as a first-year starter. And again, you saw it the latter part of last year. He's just very confident. He sees the field well. He is confident in making any throw that he needs to make. Bad plays don't affect him. He comes back and corrects it. His awareness in running the ball is so improved. He's much more savvy running the ball.
"The other night ... he just saw the coverage. And that's what you hate as a defense where you don't contain the quarterback. The best out there right now is Mahomes. Him and Lamar will make you pay. Mahomes plays fast on game day and knows how to make the defense pay. When a quarterback can take that next step and understand that opportunity with their legs, that's a big benefit to you offensively. And Cade isn't perfect because he's got a long way to go. But he's really improved."
Q: What have you seen from your blocking at wide receiver?
SWINNEY: "If you look at our explosive runs from last year to this year, heck, we've probably already matched that . A lot of that is blocks on the second level, covering guys up down the field. That's how you get explosives in the run game. Not perfect but we have made a huge jump this year. Also, we've got good leadership. Guys have taken ownership of that. We have to continue to make them want to be complete players. Great receivers impact the game without the ball. It's important for guys to buy into that."
Q: Sammy Brown hasn't played as much the last two games. Is that just because of your priority with the other guys ahead of him now? Scheme?
SWINNEY: "He played a lot in the Stanford game. He didn't get in as much the other night. We put him in there the other night and he made a big bust. That probably didn't help him. We're not in a hurry to get Barrett and Woodaz off the field. I know y'all are. Sammy will be fine. He'll be ready when we need him and he has done a great job so far."
Q: How about the nickel position ... can you give some insight into the difficulty of playing that position?
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SWINNEY: "Yeah and it just comes with it. That's where the game is. You have to have guys who are physical in the run game. You have to be able to support that but also have guys who are athletic enough to cover. Shelton brings a lot of toughness. He's a corner but he's got good coverage skills. Covil is a safety by trade but he's a runner and he's physical. Both bring good attributes to that position. We ask them to play half the field, the run game, the flat, the seams ... all of it. It's not stuff they can't do. We ask a lot of everybody at every position."
Q: Physically, you don't see a lot of corners who look like Ashton Hampton. What have you seen from his development?
SWINNEY: "He didn't get here until the summer. He's what we thought he would be. He's similar to Jeadyn Lukus ... big and long. They're just impressive. His dad is a college coach. He has a lot of instincts for the game. He has played on both sides of the ball. He's a good basketball player. He played for Charlie Ward, by the way. He's gifted. He's not a normal freshman when it comes to his physical stature. He looks like a senior. Mentally he isn't. But he has closed that gap. We saw pretty quickly in camp that he was going to help us. The moment isn't too big for him. He's very confident. He understands the game. We're really glad we have him.
"Strozier is another guy who was out last year. He's making progress. He's not as physically developed but eventually he will be. I'm excited about him."
Q: Where do you think Misun Kelley can fit in?
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SWINNEY: "He's a backup slot guy right now. He's a really good player and his time will come. He has some older guys in front of him. It hurt him not being able to play last year. He was hurt and had to have surgery. He's still developing. He just hasn't had much opportunity yet, but he will.
"Jaheim Lawson didn't play either as a freshman or redshirt freshman and all y'all are asking me about Jaheim and that's because he put the work in."
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