Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney held his weekly ACC teleconference Wednesday. A transcript follows:
Opening Statement
I am just really proud of our team for their performance against Georgia Tech. It was our best game of the year as far as our most complete game of the year. All three phases played an outstanding game.
We have to get back to division play this week with an always tough Boston College team. We have had a lot of tough battles with these guys. Coach Addazio does a great job. They are typical BC, just big, physical strong guys all over the place. They force the issue as far as trying to run the football. And then defensively right now they are the standard in the country. They lead the nation in just about every defensive category. They have given up one touchdown all year. It is a huge challenge for us this week.
But we are excited. It is Homecoming. It is a 7 o’clock game here in the Valley. We are excited about finishing up this three game home stretch that we have had here Saturday night.
Question – What are your impressions of what you saw from the Georgia Tech offense on Saturday?
Dabo – They didn’t have a good day. Our defense played great. I’m sure that they are frustrated maybe with some mistakes that they made and assignments that they missed and that type of stuff. It was just kind of one of those days that it just didn’t go well for them. We have a ton of respect for Georgia Tech and what they do. That is the best we have played against them in a long time. We are very fortunate to get that win.
Question – Are there one or two things, I know they are having a tough time this year…
Dabo – Listen, coach Johnson, he don’t need me giving him suggestions. He will figure out what they need to do.
Question – What do you recall about your first win in the ACC and coming against Boston College at this time of year. What did that mean to you?
Dabo – It was a special moment, a really special moment. It was just a tough time for a lot of people. At the end of the day it is about the players and these guys, especially those seniors in their last season. You want them to be able to finish with some success and those guys had really come together. They had all bought in. To see them get their first win on our new season if you will because that is how we looked at it. It was just awesome. The genuine love for each other that they displayed during that stretch. That was a special night. We jumped out and then they came back. The guys were just learning how to win and learning how to fight for one another. We had a big special teams play. We had a big offensive touchdown to Arron Kelly. We had a big defensive stop at the end of the game. It was just a great night and a special, special memory for me for sure.
Question – Where has your program gone from the time you took it over until now? Are your players challenging you now? With each win are they challenging your choreographic skills?
Dabo – We have come a long way in seven years since that time. We set out to build a consistent program and to do it the right way and not take shortcuts. To build a program that we can win at the highest level but know that we are doing it right in graduating our players. Seven years in now, at the beginning we were just kind of selling hope and belief and all that, and now we have results. We have been five of my six seasons top ten academically. And now we are going for our fifth ten plus season in a row. That has never happened at Clemson. Back seven years ago we hadn’t had a ten win season since 1990. We have just been slowly building a foundation here. I am just proud of all the people that have come through our program and bought in and all the great coaches and all of the great work that everyone has done. It has been a lot of fun. It has been a lot of work. We are still a work in progress. You never stop improving and getting better. But I think as far as becoming a relevant program in all areas whether it be academics, on the field, recruiting, discipline and so forth, I think that we have done a great job in that area. There is still work to do. My goal when I got this job was to make this the best decade in Clemson football. We are just halfway through. I think the best is yet to come for us.
Question – To end the regular season and know that Steve is not going to be on the other side of you can you recall some of the times you have had, good, bad, what can you say about not having him on the other side?
Dabo – Well he was great for college football. And he was great for South Carolina. And he was great for the Clemson, South Carolina rivalry. There is no question that his status for who he is and the success that he had elevated that game tremendously and certainly with the run they had against us. And not just us but everybody. South Carolina has had a lot of success against Tennessee and Georgia and Florida. Teams that they had never really had any success against until coach Spurrier arrived. I wish him the best and it has been an honor to be able to compete against him. One of the greatest coaches off all time. I am a young coach, just getting going. He is 70 years old and been doing this a long, long time. When you step back and look at the success that he has had at different places and the impact that he had on the game. And the consistency that he lived his life with and coaches with. Incredibly impressive.
Question – When you look at Boston College what really jumps out to you about that defense?
Dabo – Their scheme is the biggest thing. They do a great job with their scheme. They have some unusual pressures. They force you to really communicate well. If you don’t your quarterback is getting hit. They force the issue as far as outnumbering you in the box. A lot of press man coverage. It is a competitive play just about every pass play. And then they have good players. They are big and strong up front, just like BC always has been. They have a great understanding of what their coaches are asking them to do. They make very few mistakes. They are rarely out of position. So just a well coached team that is physical. They have eight starters back from last year. They are very knowledgeable. They are just big, strong guys that know how to play the game.