By Heath Bradley.
By Heath Bradley
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney held his weekly press conference where he previewed the game with Florida State.
Opening statement:
“Our goal was to be 3-0 at this point, and we are. But we haven’t played even close to our best game yet. This is a huge challenge going down to Tallahassee to play a very good Florida State team, especially at their place. More importantly, it’s kicking off ACC play for us. This is not just ACC play, this is a division game, and a really, really critical ball game on the schedule. Looking at Florida State, they’re as advertised. They are a very, very talented football team. They’re explosive. They’ve made a ton of explosive plays in their first three games. Wake Forest is a program we have a ton of respect for, and they had a bunch of explosive plays against those guys in the kicking game, rushing the ball, throwing the ball, everything. The quarterback is a special player. He will certainly be a great challenge for us. I think they have three great running backs. They’ve got really good skill at receiver. They are typical Florida State. They have fast guys that can really run. There’s no shortage of skill players in Tallahassee. I really like their tight end. They play well up front. They’ve got a ton of depth there. These guys are very deep at every position and they have great talent. They lead the nation in five different categories. Obviously, they’ve only given up three points, and it’s going to take more than three points to win this ball game. They are very disruptive, and they will roll a bunch of guys in there. The secondary guys can all change direction really well and cover. They’ve been playing a lot of press man, which is something we’ve been working hard to prepare for. The big thing for us offensively is handling the environment. It’s going to be a big crowd. But half the stadium is not for you like it was in Atlanta. The whole crowd is against you. Guys have to make plays to be able to win a game like this. Special teams could very well be the difference in a game like this. They returned a punt last week. They have, I think, a very special kicker. Their kicker has been outstanding. We all remember two years ago when he kicked a 55-yarder that would have been good from 70. For us, it’s just a Tuesday. We have to have a great week of preparation. We’re a big underdog going down there, but other than Alabama and LSU, who wouldn’t be?
On Weather Monday and Today:
“Mondays are light days, heavy meeting days. We meet in the mornings. It worked out fine. Hopefully we can get outside today.
On Injuries:
“They’re all back. Everybody’s practicing. Everybody’s ready to roll. I anticipate all of them playing and starting. We practice today, tomorrow, and Thursday. We’ve been playing several guys. Whoever practices the best this week, that’s who will start the game.
On Pressuring the QB:
“We’ve gotten quite a bit of pressure, but we haven’t been able to get many sacks. Part of it is the teams we’ve played. They get it out quick and don’t hold the ball. There’s definitely room for improvement there.
On Potential Ways to Pressure the QB:
“Just watch the game on Saturday. There are a lot of things we could do.
On Changes to the Depth Chart on Defense:
“No. We’ve got a bunch of guys that are playing. We have a full week of practice. Outside of Malliciah, we don’t have anybody over there that’s just a golden child.
On Using Crowd Noise at Practice to Prepare Team:
“I think you definitely have to do that. You have to prepare your team for that environment. We’ll start that process today, tomorrow, and Thursday. But you also have to teach.
On FSU and Their Ability to Run the Ball:
“The option is a concern because they’ve been successful. They love that outside lead play. Their fullback is a good blocker. We have to mix it up. We can’t just give them the same look. Guys just have to play fundamental football. If it’s one-on-one and you have a guy coming to support a run play outside, it’s going to be a long day. First of all, we have to be fundamentally sound. Somebody’s forcing it on every play. Whoever that is has to understand that and do their job. You have to defeat blocks. They’re just blocking people. It’s not anything fancy. We have to defeat blocks.
On Importance of This Game:
“These guys aren’t isolated in a cage somewhere. They understand this is a huge game. But you have to be careful because this is the fourth game. Our next goal is to win the division. The winner of this game is in control, and the loser of the game is at the mercy of others. It’s a long season, guys. If we win the game, we’re 4-0 and that’s great and we’re just a team trying to put a great season together. If we don’t get it done, then we’re a team that has a whole season in front of us. If you lose this game, you don’t control your destiny. You still have to take care of your business. They were at their mercy. LSU controlled their destiny the whole way, and Alabama didn’t control their own destiny. It’s a big, big game. There’s no doubt about it. I know it’s Gameday and all of that stuff. For us, it’s game four. It’s the beginning of conference play. We obviously have not played our best game, but it’s in there somewhere.
On Tony Steward and His Improvement:
“I thought he looked good. He played well. He did some really good things. If you remember, last year, we tried to bring him along. He’s done a good job on special teams for us. Seeing him in there last week, I thought, was really good. He was active. He stayed on his feet, for the most part. It was good to see him play like that.
On the Defense of FSU:
“When you’re playing a team that’s played three games and they’ve given up three points, one point a game, that’s certainly a big deal.
On Recruiting vs FSU:
“We’re going to always compete against each other, or at least we should. Clemson and Florida State should always be two of the best programs in the country. We don’t have a huge number of Division I players like they do in that state, so we obviously have to go down there. It’s been kind of a home series for a while now. It’s been very competitive, and I don’t think that’s going to change any time soon.
On Tajh Boyd:
“He’s got to execute our system. He’s just got to play quarterback. He’s got progressions on everything in the passing game. He’s just got to manage the game and make good decisions.
“He’s played them before. It’s not like it’s his first time playing Florida State. He did start the game last year. There are going to be some scramble situations in this game. That’s going to be a big part of what we’re going to need him to do. Other than that, just be the quarterback and take what’s there. We just can’t beat ourselves. Last year, we almost did that. He knows what he’s got to do.
On Being a Heavy Underdog:
“I don’t know how to answer that. We’re not a great football team right now. If I was on the outside looking in, I’d probably pick them too. Now I’m not on the outside, I’m on the inside, and I like where I am. I don’t think that’s a lack of respect. I just think that’s people looking at it from the outside saying, ‘Hey, that’s a really good team.’ I don’t really look at it that way.
“I don’t know. Listen, we’ve never been picked to win the division, much less the conference, and we’ve won it two out of the last three years. We don’t worry about that. When you start worrying about all of that stuff, then you aren’t focusing on the right things. The game is played in-between the lines by the players. I think our guys have learned that. They’ve come a long way. They understand the situation. Both teams are going to play really, really hard. These are two talented football teams. They’ve got talent, we’ve got talent.