Dabo Swinney previews South Carolina offense, national playoff stakes

Dabo Swinney knows South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers will be a challenge.

by Grayson Mann - Correspondent - Nov 26, 2024, 3:16 PM

A home game against the Gamecocks stands in Clemson’s path of a potential playoff berth.

The calendars don’t read 2022, but the stakes evoke an eerie memory of the last time in-state rivals squared off in the Upstate.

Only this time, the national stakes have certainly risen.

In all likelihood, the Gamecocks and Tigers will slot high in Tuesday night’s playoff rankings, establishing this matchup as one of the most anticipated Palmetto Bowls in recent memory.

For Dabo Swinney, he certainly understands the consequences of Saturday’s results, both positive and negative.

He doesn’t just understand them. He embraces the pressure of what is to come.

"I mean, listen, this is what we signed up for,” Swinney said. “It is normal for me. I've been doing this a long time again, other than 13 Alabama-Auburn games. Trust me, I know what it feels like to win and lose. And then I'm on the 21st Clemson-South Carolina game. I know what it feels like. So I love it. I love being in the fight. I love it. I love the fact that y'all are going to write horrible things about us on Sunday. If we stink this up, that's okay. Comes with it. It's what we signed up for. And I love the fact that we may not even play good, but we find a way to win. We're going to be great. It just comes with it. That's what you sign up for. It's a rivalry game. I have a lot of respect for how hard all these kids work, how hard all these coaches work.”

That pressure of the rivalry matchup has certainly been turned up another notch. After last weekend’s chaos in college football, the Tigers and Gamecocks look to ascend within the rankings, turning a win into a serious resume boost for an at-large bid.

In 2022, the circumstances were the same for Clemson. The Tigers likely would’ve found a way into the postseason with a win over South Carolina and an ACC Championship.

Rather, a painful loss kept Swinney’s unit from reaching the College Football Playoff. With plenty of players still on the roster who experienced that sorrow, he hasn’t had to reach back far for examples of what can happen if the focus is lost on Saturday afternoon.

“You got to do the things it takes to win,” Swinney said. “That's what you focus on. You don't focus on outcomes. You focus on what you've got to do to get those outcomes. And if you go back to that game two years ago, we're 104-4 when we have a lead into the fourth quarter since 2011. Well, and you go, what were those four you lost? Well, the national championship was one of them in 2015. One of them was this game, one of those four. It was this game right here. We had a fumbled punt return. We had a fumbled kick return, lost two possessions, and ended up getting beat by one point. So, hey, man, you got to do what winning requires. That's what I always tell these guys. I mean, we got to plan to win.”

Clemson’s plan involves finding ways to slow down LaNorris Sellers, who has been crucial to the Gamecocks’ ascension.

Sellers has posted over 2,500 yards from scrimmage this season, accounting for 25 total touchdowns.

Swinney believes that build at quarterback is the key to success in this era of college football.

“If you don't have a quarterback who can make plays like that, you're at a disadvantage,” Swinney said. “That's what everybody's trying to find and recruit: guys that can on paper. You got him, but you don't. And that's who he is. I mean, he can make a lot of play, and obviously, their scheme will accentuate his skills between him and that. Running back, I mean they got a lot of quarterback counter, a lot of swap zone, a lot of influence, swap zone with the option, kind of like what we saw last week with the dive and the tight end coming across with the bluff out to block, and then he's pulling it if the end squeezing. Now he's on the edge, and he's got an option guy.”

Sellers accounts for plenty of South Carolina’s offense along with running back “Rocket” Sanders, putting together a dynamic edge to the Gamecocks’ offensive attack. Swinney says the Clemson defense must be ready for what this group throws at them. He knows it will be a lot, and they can be a problem.

“It's a lot going on,” Swinney said. “And then when he does drop back, a lot of play action off of that. A lot of boots, a lot of RPOs, a lot of screen game. But when he does drop back, if you don't cage him up and he gets on the edge, you better cover those guys forever. He creates a lot of big plays. Again, throwing it and running it. I think he's a really good player, and he seems like a great kid. He seems like a great leader; you can see that in how the guys play around him. So he's a problem. He's a real problem.”