CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney issued a stern warning Tuesday ahead of the Tigers’ upcoming road trip to Tallahassee: do not let Florida State’s losing record fool you.
At his weekly press conference, Swinney made it clear that despite the Seminoles entering the matchup at 3-4, Florida State has the caliber and defensive firepower of an undefeated contender.
A ‘Small Margin’ and Florida State’s Defensive Front
Swinney opened his remarks by addressing the razor-thin margin between victory and defeat that has defined Florida State’s season, as well as the multiple looks the Seminoles’ defense has presented.
“All right. On to the next one here, and it doesn’t get any easier. These guys are it’s a really good football team. I mean, honestly, they’re again nobody’s type of stuff people want to hear, but there are a few players being undefeated. I know, I know that. I know those coaches know that on the other side, but it’s a really good football team. So it’s, you know, they’re three and four, but they’re probably four plays from being, you know, seven and up. This is a really good team, and it’s a small margin. You know, it’s a few plays that in this game can change the outcome. We certainly just lived through one ourselves here, but these guys are really, really talented defensively. They do a lot,” Swinney said.
Swinney detailed the front-line size and multi-scheme versatility the Tigers must prepare for Saturday night.
“They’re a, you know, multitude of looks that you have to prepare for. You know, in and out of some odd-man stuff and some four-down stuff. A lot of different things in the, from a cover standpoint. A lot of pressure and really talented. I mean, this is a talented group. I mean, just big and stout up front guys that can run at all three levels. Got length, so got our hands full there for sure.”
Norvell’s Ground Scheme, Duce Robinson, and Backfield Depth
Turning to Florida State’s offense, Swinney credited head coach Mike Norvell for scheming to his roster’s strengths in both the gap-run and play-action passing games.
“And then over on the other side, offensively, you know, I think I think I think Mike does a great job, you know, with their scheme and just, you know, really plays into their strengths. You know, and they can run the football. You know, so they do a great job of really, you know, scheming some things up in the run game and the play-action game off of that. Especially a lot of their gap scheme stuff or a lot of guard-pull type play actions. They get the ball, so they’re playmakers. I think you know everybody talks about [Duce], and as they should, [Duce] is [Duce] is a great, great player.”
Beyond wideout Duce Robinson, Swinney pointed to complementary weapons on the outside and adjustments in the Seminoles’ backfield following the injury to Ousmane Kromah, with former Texas running back Quintrevion Wisner stepping in.
“But 15 and eight, seven, all those guys are really good players. I think they’re a good group up front, and obviously losing 32 was he was he’s a great player, but you know we’ve seen five. You know, he was at Texas when we played them a couple years ago, so we’ve seen him as well. Another great player. You know play at places like Texas and Florida State and not be a good player. So really good football player there.”
Ashton Daniels’ Growth and the Search for Offensive Precision
Under center, Swinney highlighted the evolution of quarterback Ashton Daniels, dating back to when Clemson first scouted him during his time at Stanford.
“But you know, Ashton Daniels is a guy that I’ve kind of always had respect for because we saw him here, and he’s a really talented player. I thought that very first time I studied, I didn’t know who he was until we played [Stanford] that year, and I just remember prepping for the game, going, ‘Man, this guy’s a problem. He can run,’ and I think from when I saw him, when was that? Was that 23? Maybe 24. From when I saw him in 24 to where he is now, he’s really developed into a more complete quarterback and a more complete player. You can see that. You can see his growth. Same thing. I would say Mike. Mike has done a great job, you know, with him as far as how they’re using him, because it all starts with him.”
Swinney broke down Florida State’s high-volume screen game and balanced scoring output while emphasizing that Clemson’s offense must start finishing drives with touchdowns instead of settling for field goals.
“I mean, it’s going to be you’re going to have a lot of quarterback run game, a lot of play action, you know, a bunch of screens. I mean, they’re probably as good a screen team really as we see every year. That’s one thing I would say about, you know, their scheme. They do a great job running back screens, tight end screens. Obviously, everybody’s got the wideout screen game, but I just think they do a great job of how they incorporate that stuff. You know, with their, you know, just their rhythm and how they call it. But got our hands full with this group again. Do a great job running the ball. They’re scoring a bunch of points and a bunch of yards. They’ve scored on everybody, averaging 32 points a game. And again, they’ve scored on everybody. Obviously, you know, went to overtime with Miami. So we’ll have to play. We got to play well. I mean, we got to do, especially offensively. You know, I think defensively we really have been proven all year long. Same thing with special teams, and then offensively, we’re doing some good things. We’re just having a hard time with the precision and the details, and getting 11 guys all on the same page consistently enough to where we can finish with some touchdowns instead of field goals, and then some critical plays, some critical situations that we got to be better at. But you know, excited to have another opportunity to go play again.”
Tallahassee Atmosphere and the ‘Mental Monday’ Reset
Looking ahead to Saturday night at Doak S. Campbell Stadium, Swinney expects an electric atmosphere where records will be thrown out the window.
“It’s game week and period, and when this is, you know, you get 12, this is one of them. So excited about the opportunity. It’s always a great place to play. I’ve always had a lot of respect for Florida State-type programs, and certainly being able to go down there and play, it’ll be an awesome environment. And I think the last time we were down there, it seems like they were, I think they were working on the stadium. So haven’t had a chance. It’d be good to see that, and it should be a great ball game. And I promise you, nobody’s going to care about the records when we kick this one off. It’s close to Florida State, so it’ll be a great opportunity. We’ll have to play well to go win it. Any questions?”
When asked about his message to the locker room over the past few days following their defeat to Virginia Tech, Swinney underscored the value of mutual accountability during film review.
“Game week, chance to go play. I mean, it’s what we do. Love football, same as it is every week. You come in, it’s Mental Monday. You reset. You know, we watched the tape. We watched a lot of it together yesterday, and I think you know both sides watching each other. I think that’s a healthy thing to do from time to time, so they can kind of, you know, see each other and learn from each other. But I mean, opportunity to go play. It’s game week. I mean, this is one of our 12, so it’s really no different.”
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