Swinney says Tigers played most complete game, looks ahead to Tony Elliott and the Cavs

Swinney and the Tigers host Virginia Saturday at noon.

David Hood - Senior Writer - Sunday, October 13 2024

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney thinks Saturday’s 49-14 victory at Wake Forest was the most complete win of the season.

Clemson rolled up 566 yards of total offense and held Wake to zero points and just 38 yards of offense in the second half in the win, which improved the Tigers’ record to 5-1 overall and 4-0 in the ACC. Next up is Virginia – coached by former offensive coordinator Tony Elliott – which is 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the league. The game is set for noon on the ACC Network.

According to FanDuel, Clemson is currently favored by 21.5 points against the Cavaliers. The over-under has been set at 57.5 points.

Swinney recapped the win and looked ahead to Virginia on his Sunday night teleconference.

“I'm excited about another win, and I'm really proud of how our team played. I thought everyone did a great job all week long in preparation, buying into what we had to do,” Swinney said. “That's back-to-back road wins in the conference. It was probably our best game of the season in totality. A lot of good things. It's the first time that we've been down in a while. It was good to see us not flinch. We just kept our focus on the next play and responded. We did a great job of adjustments throughout the game, so a credit to our staff there.

"I thought it was another solid game special teams-wise. A lot of good things that we continue to do there.”

The defense was stellar in the second half.

"Defensively, we weren't great in the first half. The second half ... -11 yards in the third quarter and only 38 yards in the second half,” Swinney said. “We created some negative yards and held their quarterback to less than 50 percent. We shut them out in the second half and created some turnovers. They were 3-of-12 on third and fourth down. Barrett (Carter) and (Wade) Woodaz continue to play at a high level for us. I saw some really good things up front. Still ... too many penalties. We didn't leverage the ball well at times. We gave up a couple of big plays, but they were contested big plays. Still, plenty of room for improvement.”

The Tigers posted 37 first downs on offense, the third-most in program history.

"Offensively it was a game where we played really poor last year against them. We had one 17-play drive yesterday,” Swinney said. “We had 37 first downs and had good balance. And that's what they force you to do. I'm really proud of our offense. We were 5-for-5 on touchdowns in the red zone. Cade was awesome. Mafah continues to be a workhorse for us. We had a lot of guys take advantage of their opportunities. And we took care of the ball. We only gave up one sack, too.

"Our team is getting better. I thought we took a step forward and responded well after losing some momentum early in the game. It's good to get back home this week. It will be another tough challenge. It'll be a chance to finish up October in control of what we're trying to do. Injury-wise, we came through the game well. Hopefully we'll get a couple of these guys back tomorrow. We have a great opportunity this weekend and then an open date. We need a great week of preparation as we build one week at a time."

Swinney was asked how he would feel seeing Elliott on the opposing sideline.

"That'll be strange for sure. Tony is family to me. He's family, he and his wife and boys,” he said. “I've been around him since 2003. We have had a lot of great times together, doing life together, so I'm really happy for him. It's great to see them having some success. Tony is a great coach and a great leader, and he's about all the right things.

"It's always about the game when you get into those situations. You just focus on the game, and I know he'll do the same thing. There may be a weird moment here or there with him in the visiting locker room, but at the end of the day, it's about the game. It's not about any circumstances. You don't get distracted by circumstances."