By Will Vandervort.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney says he just laughs when he hears fans and the media alike take winning for granted, especially in a game like Saturday’s showdown with FCS foe South Carolina State.
Pretty much everyone outside of the Clemson locker room has already chalked the 12:30 p.m. game in Death Valley as a victory for the 23rd-ranked Tigers.
“Every game is huge. It always cracks me up when we try to create the mentality that one game is bigger than the other,” Swinney said. “They are all big. They are all big. If you don’t believe that then come and stand behind this podium and lose one of them. You realize quickly how big they all are. They’re all big.”
S.C. State (1-0) is big because a victory on Saturday for Clemson is much needed after last week’s disappointing second half performance in a 45-21 loss at No. 8 Georgia. The Tigers struggled offensively the entire half, while the defense lost its will and wore down in the fourth quarter when the game was on the line.
“No, we can’t overlook anybody right now. I can promise you that,” Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris said.
It helps that the Tigers (0-1) are back in the friendly confines of Memorial Stadium, where it will be their home opener.
“We are looking forward to getting back on the field and getting this team back on track,” defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said.
Swinney says being back in Death Valley is what the team needs right now because it allows them to forget about the Georgia game and move on with what still lies ahead.
“This is our home opener,” he said. “We get seven opportunities a year, you know? To live right here in this stadium and drive around this campus 365 days a year – it is special to get the chance to see this place come to life. I’m excited about getting in the Valley and doing what we do with the Clemson faithful this weekend.”
And what he wants everyone to be doing is celebrating a victory over S.C. State, which a lot people are already expecting to do, especially with the Tigers being favored by 40 points.
While fans and the media are wondering how much Deshaun Watson will play at quarterback this week and which freshman will get to play that maybe they did not see last week, Swinney says the only plan they have is to make sure everyone on the team is dialed in and focused on their job.
That’s something no one, including the coaches, he said, did against Georgia in the second half.
“If they don’t get dialed in, they will get beat this week,” Swinney said. “There ain’t nobody here talking about Florida State. You might be, but we are not. If they don’t get dialed in, we will lose this week. If we don’t fix those mistakes, we will get beat this week.
“(S.C. State) isn’t coming in just to play Clemson and say, ‘Alright, give me a check and we will head home.’ It does not work that way. You have to earn it. You have to deserve it. I want to see our football team earn and deserve to win. I don’t care who we play.”
Against Georgia, the Tigers did not earn anything. The Clemson offense had 31 missed assignments in the second half, while the defense had 13 missed tackles in the fourth quarter. Special teams allowed a touchdown return on a kickoff and missed a field goal as well.
Unlike everyone else, the Tigers are no longer looking back to the Georgia game and they are not looking ahead to the Florida State game that looms large in two weeks either. Nope, they’re focused only on the now, getting better and beating S.C. State.
“We all want to win. (Florida State) is not even remotely on our minds,” Swinney said. “We are going to focus hundred percent on South Carolina State. That’s what we are going to do. Then we will move on to the next one.”