Dabo Swinney Friday after practice comments

by TigerNet Staff - Fri Dec 30 18:34:43 GMT-04:00 2011

Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney:

“It’s a beautiful day. We’re ready to get back at it at practice today. We’ve wonderful weather every single day and really the hospitality of these bowl folks has been incredible, from the first moment we arrived here on the plane, and all the details, they have just really taken care of everything, as far as how we get to practice and accommodations and all that. This is what it’s all about, right here for all of us. Our families, I think they’re all having a good time, but we have a job to do. Our guys have been focused when we come out to practice and today we got to have a good one as we tighten the game plan down.

On coming to South Florida two days early:

“It was either practicing until Christmas Eve and bring them down here on the 29th, or we broke on the 22nd so we had to get back to work on the 27th. It was either bring everybody back to Clemson which would have been an inconvenience for a lot of our players, or it was come down to the Orange Bowl. I put some thought into it and said ‘why don’t we just have a couple days of minicamp, just nothing but ball, nobody around.’ And that’s what we did and it worked out get. Player bought into that because we had to get back to work. I think West Virginia went a little longer before they took a break so we probably had the same amount of work. We were glad to get moved over to the Westin Diplomat yesterday and really get engaged to Orange Bowl festivities which started last night.”

On the practices the team has had in South Florida:

“Well, we practiced a little in Clemson and I think the credit goes to the players. They want to pay the price. We aren’t going to be the Orange Bowl Champions if we don’t pay the price. This is two good football teams that are going to battle it out. I think that (our players) made the decision to do everything they can to give themselves a chance to win. That doesn’t mean that you are going to win. You got to do it on game day, but they have paid the price and if they continue to do what they have done…then we’ll be in a position to win.”