Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney held his weekly Tuesday press conference to preview the upcoming game at NC State. Defensive coordinator Brent Venables had his weekly interview to discuss the defense, and a couple of offensive players shared their thoughts on the win over Miami as well as the upcoming challenge.

Here is what we heard:

Swinney has been really impressed with what he has seen from NC State.

“This is a football team in NC State that I’m really impressed with. Watching them on tape, I think Coach Doeren has done a fantastic job of recruiting and getting his philosophy and system in place,” Swinney said. “This is a well-coached football team in all phases. You have to play them smart, you have to play them hard and you have to play them with confidence. A big part of that is because they have 18 starters back so this is a veteran football team that is sitting at 5-2, playing at home, a sellout crowd and a top-rank team coming in there.”

Swinney said that this is an important game to win in the trenches because the Wolfpack run more than they pass the ball.

“They are a run-first, bloody your nose kind of team. That is what they want to do. This a game in the trenches, and we will have to play great inside and we have to do an outstanding job of containing the perimeter because they do a great job of getting outside. This is a really good challenge. When you look at them, they are averaging five yards per carry, per rush. They have been very effective,” he said.

He also is impressed with their veteran defense.

“Defensively, they play hard, they play physical and they play tough. They are where they are supposed to be and they do not make lots of mistakes. This is a well-coached team. Defensive line wise, they are active, disruptive. They have eight starters back on the defensive side so again there are a lot of starters over there,” Swinney said.

However, Venables is extremely proud of how well his own defense has been performing so fast this season, especially in their shutout against Miami.

“We’ve really, in these last few games, started to develop an identity and a chemistry,” Venables said. “I think our guys recognize that they can be pretty solid.”

Venables was pleased with the effort and execution he saw from not only his first team, but also his backups.

“We’ve got a stretch here where we’re going to need them more now than ever to be really good,” Venables said. “Hopefully, we can meet those expectations. For the first time, these last few weeks, we’ve felt a great deal of confidence in their attitude and their preparation, and then the consistency we’re executing in.”

One backup that ended up pushing for more playing time is Kelly Bryant. After scoring two touchdowns on Saturday, Bryant moved up from third-string quarterback to co-second string.

“It’s been good getting a lot more reps. I’m just trying to take advantage of my reps,” Bryant said.

The offense has shown that it can win both on the ground and in the air by recording over 400 passing yards and rushing yards in different games. Running back Wayne Gallman says the success in the running game has a lot to do with the offensive line.

“They’re more competitive and they want it more. They realize that me and the other backs are going to do what it takes, so they want to take that extra step to give us that extra push whenever we need it,” Gallman said. “They work hard and they’re doing a great job.”