CLEMSON, S.C. — As Clemson prepares to return to conference play for a night game in the valley, head coach Dabo Swinney delivered a candid assessment Tuesday of where his team stands and the challenge awaiting them against Virginia Tech.
From critical turnover concerns to pass-protection breakdowns and roster continuity, Swinney covered every angle during his weekly press conference.
Turnover Margins and Virginia Tech’s Disruptive Front
Opening his remarks, Swinney was direct about what will dictate Saturday’s outcome, pointing to the turnover battle and a relentless Virginia Tech defensive front.
“There’s nothing that impacts the game more than the turnover margin, and so that’s where we got to be better, and needs to start this week if we’re going to win this game,” Swinney said. “And over on the other side, same thing. I think this is, you know, they’re built very similarly to North Carolina as far as just a team that we’ve played; they’re really good up front. They’re tough.”
Swinney detailed the disruption Virginia Tech brings to the field, calling out specific defensive playmakers by jersey number.
“They play really hard. They lead the nation in TFLs. They’ve created a lot of explosive plays on defense from a sack standpoint, tackles for loss, disruption. I think they do a great job. I mean, 34’s got five sacks. 42’s got seven sacks. I mean, I think 13 and 94 are really good players. Their linebackers have a million tackles. They’re a good tackling group. They’re downhill, very aggressive in what they do.”
The challenge extends to special teams and downfield explosive plays.
“So you know we got to do a great job of handling their pressure and making the plays that are there because when you get the opportunity to, but this is a, I think a really good team, good special teams, and then again you know [Bryant] Wesco’s seventh in the country in punt return, and their guy’s number one, so it’s a big battle. You know, they’re 16, and their other returner as well. He’s obviously again one of the most explosive players in the country, and they’ve won with a lot of explosive plays. If you really look at them, they’ve had some big plays, the run game, the screen game, and just shots down the field and guys making some plays for them, so you know, got our hands full with this group.”
Despite the threat, Swinney expressed excitement about being back in front of the home crowd.
“Very good team, and again, well-coached team in all three phases. But man, we’re excited about it. What a great opportunity to be back at home and have a night game here in the valley and see if we can get back into conference play and stay in the mix. You know, this is where we hope to be at this point. We hope to be one of these teams that has a shot, and that’s where we are. This time last year, we weren’t in this position. You know, so proud of the guys and how our team has competed. We just played our best game, but still so much more in front of us that we can do better. So our best football still to come. Any questions?”
Familiarity, James Franklin, and the Tom Allen Connection
When asked about his personal history facing opposing leadership, Swinney recalled the beginnings of his relationship with Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin.
“I mean, you know, it’s just another game when it comes to that. But I mean, got a lot of friends in the business. First time I met James, he was assistant at Maryland, I think. Assistant coach there. I think it’s first time I met him, and then he became the head coach at Vanderbilt. I believe was his first job, and so we met him. We got known a little bit there, but really mostly got to know him well on all the Nike trips. You know, Nike does a trip every February with about 18 to 20 coaches, and I think we were. You got to be a head coach a certain amount of time. You got to win a couple bowl games or something to qualify to get to go. And I think he and I were, I think we were maybe rookies at the same time. I’m not sure, something like that. We were close when we went, and so that’s how I got to know him and spent a lot of time with him on those trips. And they’re a lot of fun. He’s very good coach and just good people.”
Asked whether he spoke with Franklin prior to hiring defensive coordinator Tom Allen, Swinney confirmed:
“Oh yeah, sure, of course.”
Addressing Franklin’s comments regarding schematic adjustments due to Allen’s familiarity with their system, Swinney downplayed sideline gamesmanship.
“Yeah, I mean it’s still about the players. I mean, players got plays. I think teams know each other, and stuff like that, and coaches know each other, but you know you still got to execute plays, still blocking, tackling, throwing, catching. You know, I mean, it’s who can do what they do better. Who can? You can’t come in and run a new offense or a new defense every week. You got to be able to hang your hat on what you do, and you got to execute, and you study what they do, and you know, try to figure out the best plan to attack it, and have some answers. And obviously, want to study yourself and what they know about you. And you know, it’s kind of that you’re always self-scouting, trying to counter what they know as well. But at the end of the day, man coverage is man coverage, zone is zone. Nine technique is nine technique, counter is counter. Zone read, zone read. You got to execute well. So it’s about the players.”
When pressed on whether Clemson plans any adjustments based on that familiarity, Swinney responded:
“We just study their team. We study their schemes. We study their personnel, and we try to put a plan together. Never we.”
Evaluating Wideouts: Wesco and T.J. Moore
When asked about the receiving corps and getting playmakers moving after a reporter noted “dudes need to be dudes with Wesco and [T.J.] Moore,” Swinney defended Wesco’s recent performance while delivering an honest review of Moore.
“I mean, Wesco just came off a 150-something-yard game against the number one team in the country. So I mean, he’s been pretty good,” Swinney said. “And then this past week, I mean, it wasn’t. We could have thrown for probably whatever we wanted to throw for, but we really wanted to have some balance and just kind of run some plays and play a lot of guys. But you got to make the plays that are there, and I think he did a good job for the most part.”
Turning his attention to Moore, Swinney was candid.
“Obviously, TJ probably had his worst game as a Tiger. It’s probably the worst game he’s had since he’s been here. It’s really disappointing, but you know he’ll bounce back. He’ll respond. He’s had a lot of great games, and he’ll have more. No pun intended.”
Tait Reynolds’ Development and the Stat That Matters
Asked about quarterback Tait Reynolds’ progression from his first start to now, Swinney highlighted noticeable growth in pocket management and composure.
“Yeah, the game. I mean, the game’s slowing down for him. I think he’s grown with his protections and understanding that, understanding it’s hot, just you know, I mean, he’s played six games and he’s seen some, he’s kind of been in the fire a little bit. I think he’s grown. He saw some growth with him running the ball last week. That’s his best game, and productive there. Didn’t take any sacks. That was some growth last week because he’s taking a few sacks, and you know he still had a ball when he put on the ground. He needs to. He was better, but we got to eliminate that. I thought he made some really good deep ball throws. You know, should have had some conversions on those. So he’s grown. He’s grown in a lot of ways, but just his understanding of what we’re doing, just his command, his leadership. He’s grown in a lot of ways in six games. A long way to go, but he’s covered.”
When questioned about Clemson averaging 5.8 yards per pass attempt and whether the offense must push vertically, Swinney dismissed the figure.
“Yeah, I want to win. That’s what win. Said, just want to do whatever we got to do to win. It’s going to win games. So we’re going to just work our butts off every week to win. That’s the only stat I’m interested in right now.”
Offensive Line Continuity and Protection Accountability
With Virginia Tech leading the nation in tackles for loss, Swinney was asked if the front presents a measuring-stick game for Clemson’s offensive line, pointing to the return of key linemen like Collin Sadler and Elyjah Thurmon.
“Sure, for sure. This is a good matchup. You know, I mean, again, we’ve done some good things at times, but and we’ve played good people. I mean, we played two of the I think best teams in the nation right now, the number one team in the nation, and we did some good stuff. We didn’t capitalize, but we had some opportunities. But I really liked the group we had out there last week. It’s good to kind of have a little bit of continuity. You know, Sadler’s missed a couple games. Elyjah’s been out. You know, but having all those guys in there, I think we feel like that’s probably our best five right now. And then kind of bringing the other guys, but absolutely, I mean, it’s football. It’s a big test, man. It’s big game, and they lead the nation in TFLs. They’re right at the top in sacks. So huge game, huge matchup.”
When asked to distribute responsibility for protection breakdowns between the pass blockers and the quarterback, Swinney emphasized it is a collective issue.
“Yeah, well, some of it has been tight end, you know, where you got a seven-man protection and you know just don’t get your job done at that position, or the back, not you know, maybe getting his guy or coming off the fake in time to where he can firm up the protection. Some of it’s just been guys getting beat up front, and then there’s been a good bit on the quarterback too, you know, where he’s held the ball. He’s taken a couple really dumb sacks or had penalties, so it’s a combination of all those things.”
Dabo Swinney Drops Unfiltered Truth on Clemson’s Play