Swinney on Wake, injuries, defense, DJU and N.C. State

CLEMSON -- Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney addressed members of the media Sunday evening in his weekly teleconference, this time to take a closer look at his team's double overtime win over Wake Forest upon review of film earlier in the day. Swinney also weighed in on personnel, injuries and a week of preparation ahead of facing No. 10-ranked N.C. State next Saturday.

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The following is an abbreviated transcript of Sunday evening's teleconference.

OPENING STATEMENTS: "That was a heck of a college football game yesterday. We're reliving it today watching the tape. Both teams competed literally to the last play. You look around the country, you're reminded every week how hard it is to win. That's the first time we've won in overtime on the road since 2009. So it was good to get one of those on the road. A lot of heart and toughness from our guys. You learn a lot about your team and your coaches when you get into a situation like that. This group won't quit. They'll fight.

"We made a lot of mistakes, but we beat a really good team. That's a very smart, veteran, team. They're going to be a tough out for every team they play. We made enough mistakes to lose three games. That we won it was a real positive for us. Our best football is in front of us for sure. Wake made a lot of good plays. I didn't think we handled early success well. We rose up when we had to have it. That's a game that will serve us well as we build this team.

"Offensively, a lot of big plays. Another fast start ... three games in a row now. 14.3 yards per completion, 86 plays and we had the ball for over 37 minutes. D.J. was great. I'm just proud of that group. I love their belief. They played from behind pretty much the whole second half and they just kept answering. No turnovers and no sacks on the offensive line. We had one sack on a free safety blitz and the back got caught up outside of the tight end. It's a miracle that we actually won because we had 120 yards in penalties.

"Defensively, we got stops right there at the end. It was great to get Tyler Davis back. He was great. Really disappointed in the passing touchdowns and penalties. We have a lot to get better at. It's easier to teach coming off a win versus a loss. We have to get better quick because we have another big, big challenge this week. This is another really good, veteran, team. We're excited to get back home."

Q: All five starters on the offensive line looked to have played all 90 snaps. Marcus Tate also seems to have made a lot of progress.

SWINNEY: "Oh yeah. They're much improved. We do need to get more guys in there. As the game went on, it was literally living and dying on every play. We were at a point where we had to score, so we went with the best we had. I'm really proud of them. Certainly a lot of things we have to improve on. Marcus has come a long way from where he was last year, that's for sure. Blake Miller is handling his business and is getting better and better."

Q: Can you speak to DJ's ability to fit balls into tight windows. He done that quite a bit thus far.

SWINNEY: "You won't have a lot of separation in man coverage unless they just fall down. You still have someone there and you have to give guys a chance to make plays. He has worked really hard on his accuracy. He's much more confident. His mindset is just so much better. He has made some great, big-time, throws. That's who he is. That's why we recruited him. We saw it at times last year, just nowhere near the consistency he has been this year."

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Q: Was Malcolm Greene hurt in practice last week and what's his status now?

SWINNEY: "He got banged up in the game. He pushed through practice but just wasn't able to go. Everybody is back in there today. We have a long week. Hopefully we'll get a lot of guys back this week, but it's just a day to day thing."

Q: Do you think the struggles in the secondary will serve as a wakeup call for your players now?

SWINNEY: "Nothing good ever comes from easy, I'll tell you that. You hate it but if you're made of the right stuff, you get better from adversity and challenges. Our safeties actually played well. Everything was at corner ... just awful. I mean just really poor. From a technique standpoint, a fundamental standpoint ... poor. These kids work hard and have a lot of pride, so you win a game like that, you have their attention. It's a lonely position to play. We just did not do much well at all there yesterday. They made plays, too. The play on Trenton Simpson ... that was just a great throw and catch. Now, we didn't do a good enough job of making him uncomfortable throwing.

"Toriano Pride did some things that were good. I thought that was a tough call ... the defenseless player. He doesn't know the kid is dropping the ball. That was a tough play and a tough call. It changed the momentum there. He's going to get better from that. Jeadyn Lukus was peeking in the backfield and let the guy behind him and that just can't happen. He's a true freshman and he'll get better. For sure. These guys have pride in their performance."

Q: Schematically, was there anything you wish you had done differently defensively?

SWINNEY: "Yes. We should have protected the corner more. We called a cover-2 one time and the corner busted. They hit a guy in the flat and he went 15 yards. We finally just went to some Tampa-2 and we were in that on the last play. Definitely some things we could have done better. We needed to do some things better up front. We didn't affect the quarterback as well as we needed to."

Q: When you say not affecting the quarterback as well, does that come down to one on one matchups more often?

SWINNEY: "Yeah. That's a veteran group. We had three sacks and six tackles for loss but I felt we could have gotten more. You have to give Wake some credit, too. It's a combination of things, too, because if we do a better job in coverage, maybe he holds the ball more. I thought Tyler Davis was relentless, awesome. He was the (defensive) player of the game. You're lucky to win a game like that with all those big plays."

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Q: Any longterm concern with Sheridan Jones health-wise?

SWINNEY: "There's always concern when you're held out of a game. He seems to be doing well today and hopefully he'll be back this week."

Q: Back to your offensive line. How much difference does continuity make for you at this point with the same guys starting week after week?

SWINNEY: "You can start the same five and not be good enough. That's (continuity) certainly a part of it, though. We're just better. Putnam is more of a veteran player now. Walker Parks was a starter last year. Jordan McFadden is as good an offensive lineman as you'll find in college football. Blake has made us better. Marcus has improved so much. They're all good enough. They're really talented players. That and continuity has been a real positive for DJ. You won't watch any game and see guys perfect, but they're playing a lot of winning football. I'm proud of them. We've scored the second-most points after four games here since 1900. I'm really proud of the offensive guys for getting better because last year it was hard to score. We have a lot of confidence. Hopefully it'll continue."

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Q: Did you feel like you did a better job of winning more one on one balls at wide receiver and tight end?

SWINNEY: "Absolutely. It goes back to the quarterback who gave them opportunities. Everybody got involved and everyone made plays. You will never win if you don't make those one-on-one plays. You can't just line up and run the football on everyone, so you have to win matchups in tight coverage. That's the name of the game at this level."

Q: You said yesterday that you've never been happier for a guy than DJ. What is it about DJ that the bond is so unique with you as you evaluate him?

SWINNEY: "I just know his heart, his talent and I know what he is capable of doing. It's a lonely spot to be in when you get all the blame and criticism. Some of it is warranted but a lot of it is not. How he handled things ... he handled it so well. He just went to work. No one had more eyes on him than himself.

"To be honest, I think there were a lot of people out there pulling for him to fail. I know how talented he is and what he can do. I feel like people attacked the player and not the play. It's really sad but that's the state of the world we live in. He has to prove it every week, but I'm just so happy for him to have gotten off to a great start. He has found his mojo again, if you will. He knows it's not far from the penthouse to the outhouse. That's for sure. Turn on that tape and watch N.C. State, you get focused quickly."

Q: How much have you seen of N.C. State to this point?

SWINNEY: "I haven't watched them much this year. I've watched them live a couple of times. They're like this team we just played ... veterans on both sides of the ball, an elite quarterback, good between the lines, they're always well-coached. Dave Doeren has done a great job. They're one of the more veteran teams in the country. We'll have our hands full for sure."

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