Three quick hitters from Dabo Swinney’s time with the media yesterday as LSU week ramps up.
Special Teams Watch
Q: Punting has gotten a lot of the special teams focus. What about field goal protection? What makes you confident that’s shored up this year?
Swinney: “We worked really hard on it. I like the guys we’ve put on the team personnel-wise. I think our personnel is better.
We’ve got our battery back, that’s been very efficient. We’ve got good length on the edges. And Matt [Luke] takes ownership — that’s his thing. He’s taken a lot of ownership of the field goal team.
I believe in him and in all the rest of the coaches who work on it. They’ve demonstrated it in practice. Hopefully it’ll be a strength for us.”
Q: Do you have in mind who’s going to run out there first at punter? Has anybody separated themselves?
Swinney: “Maybe. Might come down to warm-ups. Nobody has really separated, but it’s not because they stink. It’s because they’ve all done well.
We’re at a point where sometimes you just have to go play. You see that at quarterback too — you can only get so far in practice. We’ve got that at a couple positions. Somebody’s got to run out there first, but then you let them play and go from there.
Now we get some game tape and true evaluation. Maybe they both play well, maybe you see separation. That’s what you want — competition that turns into production. I think all three guys could do the job.
But again, it’s punting. You can’t simulate what they’ll see Saturday night. We’ve got to get to the games, and then we’ll go from there.”
Where Clemson Must Level Up – The Emphasis for 2025
Q: I think you said after the Georgia game last year that Georgia expected to win, and your guys played like they were hoping to win. Where is your team mentally now compared to then?
Swinney: “When I watched the tape last year in our opener, we played tough, physical, and we were in shape. Score didn’t indicate it, but it was 6–0 at half. We had the first big play of the game and screwed it up. Another play, screwed it up. Hard to make critical errors like that.
Then in the third quarter, short motion switch — basic football — and we just turned a guy wide open. Then they ran a screen, we had it, and we just missed the tackle. Next thing you know, it’s 13–0, bam-bam.
I didn’t think we responded well in the third quarter, but I liked how we finished. The tape was more encouraging than discouraging in terms of how we needed to play. We built on it and got better.
But in that game, they didn’t make the critical errors, we did. That reflected our maturity. Cade had a lot on him in that game last year. He got better and finished well, but we didn’t complement him enough. Football is a complementary game, and we didn’t do that.
This is a more experienced team than last year. It’s a big-time game. But listen, you play good people in games like this. Last year, both teams ended up in the playoff. You can get beat. We don’t shy away from that. We don’t fear losing. I’m more excited about a chance to win. Let’s spot the ball and go see what happens.”
On This Opener vs. the Opener Against Georgia in 2024
Q: The struggles you had with blocked kicks last season… with no preseason, are those kinds of things what keep you up at night?
Swinney: “I’ve said it every year I’ve been a head coach: we’re the only level of football that has zero preseason games. There’s a reason the NFL plays all those preseason games — they need to evaluate. You can only get so much done in practice.
We get two scrimmages. That’s it. And you’re going against the same people, not hitting your quarterback, repping a lot of guys, and dealing with a lot of familiarity.
So, the first game is always a challenge, whether you’re playing LSU or Eastaboga Community College. There’s just so much you don’t know. They’ve got new people, you don’t have video, you can look at last year but that only tells you so much. There are always unknowns.
Until you get three or four games in, you don’t really know a team’s identity. Coaches think they know after camp, but it takes a few games to settle in.”
The Opening Week Depth Chart
Q: Week one depth chart — is that about keeping things mysterious?
Swinney: “Yeah, mysterious. We’re just trying to be mysterious. Keep everybody guessing. Ooh, it’s Halloween in August.
We have a few decisions that we may not make until pregame. No need to put it out now — just creates more conversation than we need.
We’ll talk about it next week. Y’all will say, ‘You ran this guy out there first,’ and we’ll have something to talk about then.”
