WATCH: Dabo Swinney's postgame press conference for Wake Forest

by CU Athletic Communications - Sat Nov 16 20:42:48 GMT-04:00 2019

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney held his post-game press conference after his team's 52-3 blowout win of Wake Forest on Saturday.

Opening statement:

“Today was a great day. Senior Day is always a bittersweet day. It’s always emotional during the course of the week, and we try to manage it the best we can and think about all of the positive things that have happened over the course of the past four or five years. Wake Forest is a good football team. I’m proud of how our guys competed. They show up and prepare well every week. Our staff’s done a great job, and our players have a good focus about them. It’s been a real joy to coach this group and see how they’ve come together and improved.”

On Clemson’s seniors:

“Today was a historic day. For our seniors, they’re the fastest to 52 wins in college football history. They’ve given us great leadership, and a lot of those guys played outstanding football today.”

On the keys to the win:

“I’m super proud of our guys. It’s been an amazing journey with this group. The defense set the tone today. Wake Forest’s offense was averaging around 500 yards of offense entering the game and only had 41 yards passing today. Of course, it was a big loss for them to not have their top two receivers, but they still have a great quarterback and offensive life and a unique offensive scheme. Our guys were locked in all week. I can’t say enough about our preparation. The turnovers were huge for us. We’re playing well on offense. We had a lot of great contributions on special teams, as well. It was a complete game.”

On the Tigers’ overall performance:

“We’re a talented football team, and we can overwhelm our opponents when we get short fields on offense and disrupt the line of scrimmage on defense. I’m proud of our guys. Trevor [Lawrence] was amazing. He threw for a career-high four touchdowns. Tee [Higgins] tied a record with three receiving touchdowns. The ball was spread around. A lot of guys made big plays for us, and we also won the turnover margin. Travis [Etienne] is the first Clemson rusher to have six 100-plus-yard games in a row. That’s a pretty special accomplishment. Lyn-J [Dixon] played well, too. The game ball went to the offensive line. It was just a tremendous performance by everyone. We subbed early in the third quarter and continued to play well. I’m excited about that for our backups to go in and play at a high level like they did.”

On the impact of the fans at Memorial Stadium:

“I really appreciate our crowd. It’s always a sad day to know it’s going to be next year before we play another game here at Memorial Stadium. I was trying to soak it all in before the game today. I have such a great appreciation for all of the fans who give us a great environment and the best gameday experience you could ask for.”