Dabo Swinney Sunday teleconference |
CLEMSON – Clemson head coach
Dabo Swinney
The Tigers turned the ball over four times and had several offensive, defensive and special teams breakdowns in the loss to the Wolfpack. “Obviously really disappointed after watching the tape,” Swinney said. “Again, not a lot of rocket science going on. Right now we're a team finding lots of ways to beat ourselves. We've had 11 turnovers in three ballgames and we've lost two. It comes down to execution and we have to get these guys dialed in and back to some basics.” Swinney said the defense was off to a great start, but turnovers put the defensive side in a bad position in a 27-point Pack second quarter. "I'm really disappointed offensively, obviously, but defensively I felt it was probably the best first quarter we've played since Virginia Tech,” he said. “We came out ready to go. Then all of a sudden they get the ball on the six, 18 and 11 [yard lines]. We didn't give them much of a chance. But again, I like how they started the game and disappointed with how we performed offensively and on special teams.” The Tigers still have a chance at ten wins and the state championship with a win Saturday at South Carolina. "We have to refocus on our goals,” he said. “Whether we were 11-0 or 9-2, none of that would matter this week. It doesn't have anything to do with these four quarters we're about to play. We have a lot in front of us. Our goals are still intact. We want to win them all. We have not played very well. Fortunately we have a lot of good tape to study where we have played well. We have to get our guys' confidence back. "I'm excited about this game, the biggest game of the year. It's a great opportunity for both teams. We can get a 10th win. Again, we've got everything right now in front of us. The only thing we know about this team is that we're not a national championship team. We can still be a very, very good team. And that's my focus right now." Injuries "Several guys are banged up. The biggest question is [left tackle]
Phillip Price He did run today, so I'm anxious to get the report on that in the morning. He was doing some running this evening. He's my biggest question mark. Martavis Bryaant, his neck, that's another question mark. Landon [Walker] looked good today,
Brandon Thomas guys with some maintenance-type injuries. Hopefully we'll get Sammy [Watkins] going back Tuesday." On getting running game going "It's execution. If you came in here and watch the tape with us, you'd want to just throw up. We've got some guys doing some good things and some breakdowns in other places. We've got to make better decisions. We're not making good decisions with the ball. Tajh is doing some things he has not done. He's got to go back and execute the base things. He's keeping it when he should give it and giving it when he should keep it. Again, it's a game that obviously got way out of hand and we could not get the momentum back. We played poorly, but we're not a 5-6 team. We're a 9-2 team and we have to get our guys focused on doing things the right way. Price is a starter for a reason. He's as good a lineman as we've had all year. Brandon missed some assignments but came back and did some good things as well. It definitely was a factor. They have to be ready to play. We just didn't have quite the attention to detail with a couple of those guys up front. Brandon is a guy who has not played a lot of tackle. He knows what he needs to do. He can do it. We just have to have a sense of urgency. I wish we would have had Phillip in there. We didn't perform quite as well without him." On if South Carolina game is critical "I think they're all critical when you're coaching for a living. Every game is critical because ultimately you're judged on wins and losses. This is a big game for our season. It's an opportunity for us to achieve a goal, it's important to our team and our fans. It's a big, big game. No doubt." On if he paid attention to other scores and what a Clemson win could have meant nationally "No. That's a waste of time. The only thing that we know about this team is that we're not a national championship team. If we were, we'd have beaten Georgia Tech and N.C. State. Right now we're a 9-2 team. We're the Atlantic Division champs and we're deserving of that. As far as everybody else, college football is a crazy game. That's why if you just keep taking care of your business and stay focused on your goals, you might have one of those special years. But you have to stay focused on what you're doing, and you'll get to where you want. This is a game of focus, intensity and execution. When you're dealing with young people, anything can happen. That's why it's a great game to be a part of and be a fan of." On if winning next two can change the perception of the program "Absolutely. This is my third year into this thing. It's a great opportunity to build some momentum for our program. Any time you play for a championship - a state championship and a conference championship - and win them, it's positive momentum. That's what we are focused on doing."
Dabo Swinney
Head Coach
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said during his Sunday teleconference that the Tigers, 37-13 losers to North Carolina St. on Saturday, are a team lacking in execution.
Phillip Price
RS Sr. Offensive Tackle
#79 6-5, 315
Dillon, SC
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. 
Brandon Thomas
RS So. Offensive Line
#63 6-3, 300
Spartanburg, SC
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looked pretty good and we've had some other
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