CLEMSON FOOTBALL

Swinney updates Clemson injury situation as Tigers prepare for Boston College

Swinney updates Clemson injury situation as Tigers prepare for Boston College


by - Staff Writer -

CLEMSON – Dabo Swinney Dabo Swinney
Head Coach
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has experienced the good, the bad and the ugly in Chestnut Hill and he knows that Saturday’s game against Boston College will be a tough challenge.

The Tigers are 2-1 at Boston College under Dabo Swinney, with two of those games being decided by six points (2008, 2010). The Eagles have already upset a ranked team in Alumni Stadium this season when they beat Southern Cal, ranked ninth at the time. Swinney said during his Tuesday press conference that Boston College head coach Steve Addazio will have his team prepared.

Proud of our team from this past weekend,” Swinney said Tuesday in the WestZone. “One of those special wins. One that you will remember for a long time. It’s something you can grow from. Really, really tough challenge this week. This is a very impressive football team on tape. They are 4-2 and incredibly well coached. Really like Coach Addazio and you can tell the team has really taken on his personality. It's a really, really good football team that is capable of beating anybody on any given day especially with how physical they are.”

Offensively, it all starts with quarterback – and Florida transfer – Tyler Murphy who has proven that he is more than capable in the passing game and can beat you with his feet.

“The heart of their offensive team is their quarterback,” Swinney said. “Very impressive. He's second in the league in rushing. And 12th in the nation. He has 700-something yards in six games. He's been impressive every week. They are very committed to what they do. They have a great plan in how they involve all their players. But the quarterback is four yards, three yards, eight yards and next thing you know he's got over 100 yards.

“We are going to have to tackle well. They create a lot of one-on-one tackles. You get him there and he's going to win those matchups. You can't get lulled to sleep and you have to be disciplined on the back end.”

What makes Murphy different from most quarterbacks is that he’s playing behind an offensive line that is filled with experienced graduate students.

“Offensively, they are big. There are about five 6-7 guys on their two deep,” he said. “Big physical guys up front. They had a great running back last year that's now with the Giants and looking pretty good. No. 23 [Myles Willis] has taken Andre Williams' place. He's very good. They play a lot of two- and three- tight end sets. They do a great job of creating their perimeter plays by setting the edge. Their receivers, No. 6 [Sherman Alston] is as quick as a cat and is a great returner. That creates some problems.”

The Tigers will be facing a top 10 defense for the second consecutive week as the Eagles are ranked eighth nationally in total defense.

“Defensively, we must have four of the top 10 defenses in the country in the ACC so I guess it’s the year of the defense in this league,” he said. “That bunch we played last week was just tremendous and then you turn on the tape of this group and goodness gracious. They are really good. Bunch of big strong guys up front. They aren't quite as big as we've played in the past, but they are fast and physical. I also think this is the best secondary they've had in a while at Boston College They go man coverage. They get pressure on the quarterback.”

Other notes

On Cole StoudtCole Stoudt
Sr. Quarterback
#18 6-4, 231
Dublin, OH

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’s health

“Cole took every rep last night and looked good. He's excited about the week. Obviously it helps when you can practice. I was so proud of him because it was gutsy. He had a lot of mistakes that would have been eliminated with practice. He's excited about getting back out there. Nick SchuesslerNick Schuessler
RS So. Quarterback
#12 6-3, 195
Grayson, GA

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is excited to get the No. 2 reps. He's a very good player. Cole won't be limited.”

On Tony StewardTony Steward
Sr. Linebacker
#7 6-1, 236
Hastings, FL

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“Tony practiced last night and looked good. He could have been ready Saturday but we were concerned if he had a setback he would be out for three or more weeks. He should be ready to go.”

On Deshaun WatsonDeshaun Watson
Fr. Quarterback
#4 6-3, 204
Gainesville, GA

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’s surgery

“He's good. Yes. Everything went great. It's a pretty simple procedure. He will go with us to Boston. It's very important for us to keep him engaged.”

On the tempo of the offense

“No. We'd love to go faster. That's when we are at our best. We haven't converted as much on third down. It's on all of us. We are six games in and we are at halftime and have to make a few adjustments. Let's learn after the first half. We are still first or second in the league even with that performance from last week. We've done a lot of good things with a completely different group. We've been a work in progress but we've made progress. I would like to be 6-0 right now and running the ball better right now. But we do what we do to win games. We've got a lot of room for improvement for the second half of the season.”

On winning defensive games

“We are in the world of offense. I love it when people are mad when we win. There's no problem with that. We can win 13-2, it doesn't mater. It doesn't always have to be a 52-35 type game. It's OK to be great on defense, score on defense, score on special teams. When you put that type of consistent effort together you are going to win games. We are going to continue to be one of the best offenses in the country. I can tell you that. We've got good young talent. We've got good young talent coming in here. At the end of the day it's about winning the game. Sometimes you play great and win and sometimes you don't play as well and you and win.”

On Ben BoulwareBen Boulware
So. Outside Linebacker
#10 5-11, 235
Anderson, SC

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“Ben was great. He's played pretty good, so he was confident. He didn't quite have the experience at 'backer last year. So he's more confident. Better prepared. He's playing faster. Last year he was slower because he had a lot to learn. That's why we recruited him because we thought he could be a great player. He was player of the game - him and Jayron [Kearse].”

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