Highlights from Dabo Swinney's Sunday teleconference

by TigerNet Staff - Sun Oct 09 19:13:17 GMT-04:00 2011

Audio of Dabo Swinney's teleconference (MP3 Format)

CLEMSON – The good news coming from Dabo Swinney’s Sunday afternoon teleconference with the media is that the Tigers are fairly heading into this weekend’s game at Maryland, including quarterback Tajh BoydTajh Boyd
RS So. Quarterback
#10 6-1, 225
Hampton, VA
View Full Profile .

Swinney said that Boyd, who injured his hip in the third quarter of Saturday’s win over Boston College, should be ready to practice by Tuesday.

“Tajh is doing very well today,” Swinney said. “He was just a little sore in his right thigh. He had a little bruise there. We're very fortunate, and it looks like he’s going to be fine. I'd say he's definitely probable for the game Saturday. He looks like he'll be full speed in practice. He may be limited tomorrow, but will cut it loose Tuesday.”

Swinney said the injury was definitely the hip, and not the knee as first feared, and said part of the seriousness stemmed from Boyd not wearing a hip pad.

"He got hit in his hip. A lot of people thought it was his knee,” Swinney said. “He didn't have his hip padding on. The guy really drove his head in there on it. Had he had his hip pad on, he might have been okay.”

Swinney said that Boyd will definitely have one on this weekend.

Other highlights

On the Boston College game

"It was a really good football game watching it on film. It's probably the closest we've played to our potential. I'm real pleased with the things we did in all phases. Defensively, 11 possessions, five punts, two fourth down stops and 258 yards. It doesn't get much better than that. At times we missed some tackles, so that was disappointing, but really played well up front. Our d-tackles and d-ends were outstanding. Malliciah GoodmanMalliciah Goodman
Jr. Defensive End
#97 6-4, 280
Florence, SC
View Full Profile was just tremendous. Malliciah just took advantage of his opportunities. They were using a back to chip Andre BranchAndre Branch
RS Sr. Defensive End
#40 6-5, 260
Richmond, VA
View Full Profile . Tig Willard just continues to play well. He just quietly does his job and was all over the field. The secondary played very solid. We're getting more out of [Martin] Jenkins each week. He's starting to play with more confidence. Overall it was a good solid day. Brandon [Thompson] and Rennie[Moore] inside continue to be difficult to handle as well. “

On the offense

“Offensively we had 500 yards. We lost 42 yards because of a couple of sacks and a couple of runs. It was good to see us run the ball on those guys. We had three touchdowns and should have had two more. We dropped one and should have had another one before the half. The offensive line, I thought, played outstanding. We had 15 big plays. Sammy WatkinsSammy Watkins
Fr. Wide Receiver
#7 6-1, 200
Fort Myers, FL
View Full Profile was the player of the game on that side of the ball. He continues to be special. Jaron came up again. Andre {Ellington], it was good to see him play like he played. He felt the best he's felt all season after the game, so he'll be able to practice all week like we need him to. Tajh was on his way to a great, great day. Cole settled down and did well.”

On confidence in Cole StoudtCole Stoudt
Fr. Quarterback
#8 6-4, 200
Dublin, OH
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“I’m confident that he can go in there and execute. That's how we prepare him every week. And he went in there yesterday and did a great job. We're confident in Cole. But I'm glad I don't have to worry about that. I'm glad it's not as serious as everybody thought it was going to be."

Any other injuries?

"No. And that's a good thing. Stephone AnthonyStephone Anthony
Fr. Linebacker
#12 6-3, 235
Polkton, NC
View Full Profile should be back to rolling towards full speed this week."

The difference in this team and past Clemson teams

“We've got good players. Coaches do a great job. We've got a great staff. Everyone is on the same page. We've got excellent leadership. Our guys have made a decision that they're going to be focused every week. However, we've got a long way to go. We've got to continue to do well and stay focused. But to this point, I'm proud of the way they've handled themselves. A lot of the things we have in place from a program standpoint are coming into effect.”

On the defense

“The last three weeks, they've taken some steps forward. And that's what we have to do is continue to get better. There are still a lot of things we can improve upon, but I'm very encouraged with what I've seen the last three weeks. We started off a little slow, but we've gotten better each week. Hopefully when it's all said and done we'll be one of the best defenses in the country.”