By Will Vandervort.
By Will Vandervort
CLEMSON —Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney announced Wednesday that right tackle Gifford Timothy will not play in Saturday’s game against Ball State.
Swinney says Timothy is not quite where they need him to be. Redshirt freshman Shay Anthony will get the start at right tackle, and Joe Gore will be the backup.
“We have been pushing Shaq and Joe Gore in trying to get them ready,” Swinney said after practice. “Joe got poked in the eye with a finger during a two-minute drill in practice so hopefully he is okay.”
Though Anthony will get the start for the 12:29 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, Swinney says there is still a lot of competition.
“Right now, Shaq will definitely start, and hopefully Joe will have another good day tomorrow,” Swinney said. “I’m one hundred percent confident, unless something changes tomorrow, that today Shaq will be the starter.
“He knows a little bit more about what he is doing so he is going to get an opportunity. This is a good opportunity for him this weekend to show that he is ready so I’m excited to see how he handles it.”
Timothy left on the next to last offensive play of the night against Auburn last Saturday, as he was helped off the field once trainers were done looking at the same right knee he injured during fall camp. On Wednesday, Swinney said Timothy is sore more than anything else.
“He could probably go,” the Clemson head coach said. “But we probably could not get him ready until late tomorrow afternoon or Friday so we will try to go without him and try to get him a little further along.
“He is going to be okay, but he is still a little sore. If you can’t practice on Tuesday and Wednesday, especially a young player, it’s hard to count on them on game day.”
Swinney says his confidence level in Anthony at right tackle is “okay,” despite the so-called road block the freshman hit as camp came to a close last month.
“He is a freshman so I’m about as confident as you can be in a freshman starting on the offensive line,” Swinney said. “He is a talented player, and he is a long way away from being a finished product. I’ll just say that.
“But I really believe in him and I believe when he matures and gets some experience under his belt, I think he is going to be a very good player. He is just a freshman, but he is the best we got right now. As long as he gives me great effort and knows what to do, then he has a chance.”
No hangover. Swinney says practices have been very good this week and he doesn’t feel there are any hangovers for the 12th-ranked Tigers following last week’s win over Auburn.
“It’s very similar to last week, in fact today was a better practice than we had last Wednesday,” he said. “Last Wednesday was not a good day. That’s one of the things I have challenged them on. I’m anxious to see them play. How will they respond? Are they going to take another step?
“This is a solid team. I know there are some people that do not want to hear it, but (Ball State) is going to make some plays. This quarterback (Keith Wenning) is very good and this running back (Jahwan Edwards) is very good. He is a strong tough runner. They have some skill guys that can do some things, and they know what they are doing.
“They have a lot of experience back on that offense. I will not be surprised if they move the ball and make some plays, but we will settle in on them.”
Punting. Spencer Benton will once again start at punter for Clemson this Saturday, but Swinney says he hopes freshman Bradley Pinion will play.
“We have to get him ready,” Swinney said. “Obviously, he is going to be the guy (of the future), but he may be the guy this year. Who knows? Spencer did a fantastic job (last week) and he is definitely a starter, but it is not like you have a free pass for the year. You have to perform, every week. That’s just the way it is.”
Swinney says he does anticipate getting Pinion in to either punt or kickoff.
“He is a very talented young player so we are going to try and get him as much experience as we can this year,” he said. “Hopefully, Spencer will be great all year, but it is going to be an ongoing competition all year long.”