After a month of preseason camp, Dabo Swinney's Tigers have entered game week ahead of Saturday night's season opener at LSU.
“We’ve got them as far as we can go at this point,” Swinney said Monday night during Tiger Hour. “Now we’ve got to go play and see where we’re at.”
Swinney outlined some of the biggest challenges awaiting Clemson in Baton Rouge, discussed the Tigers' ongoing quarterback competition and detailed how his team has prepared for the environment it will encounter at LSU.
What Clemson needs to do at LSU
More than anything, Swinney wants to see a Clemson team that plays physically and doesn't hurt itself.
“I just want to see us play a physical football game the way I know we have to play to be the type of team that we need to be,” Swinney said. “I want to see us not beat ourselves.
“I want to see us play just smart, intelligent football and just do the routine stuff well. I mean, that’s what gives you a chance in games like this.”
Swinney also identified several specific keys.
“Specifically, for us to win the game, one of the main things is we’ve got to try to avoid the big-play touchdown,” Swinney said. “Let’s get them on the ground, and let’s have a chance.”
Clemson will also need to play what Swinney called “elite red-zone defense.”
Offensively, his priority was just as clear.
“We have to find a way to be efficient in the run game, and that’s going to start with winning that matchup up front,” Swinney said.
No QB announcement yet
Swinney wasn't ready to reveal which quarterback will take Clemson's first snap Saturday.
“We’re going to run somebody out there,” Swinney quipped.
He praised the work Chad Morris and Tajh Boyd have done evaluating the competition throughout camp but said Clemson has reached the point where practice can only reveal so much.
“It’s been a great competition,” Swinney said. “So that’s where we are. We’ve got to go play some games and see where it goes from there.”
Preparing for Tiger Stadium
Clemson practiced inside Memorial Stadium on Monday in part to continue preparing for the noise it expects in Baton Rouge.
“We’ve practiced everything, even if our comms go out and you can’t communicate with the quarterback, making sure that we can still function and operate without the green dot, if you will, if something were to happen,” Swinney said.
Clemson also held its annual Beanie Bowl on Friday, a full game-day dress rehearsal that includes everything from the coin toss and pregame routine to sideline organization and substitutions.
Swinney came away impressed.
“I told the staff this morning that might be the best Beanie Bowl we’ve had,” Swinney said. “Very few issues. I thought the guys were really sharp and really into what we were doing, and coaches did a great job.”
And if Clemson needs any additional motivation Saturday, Swinney doesn't seem bothered by those picking against the Tigers.
After a listener suggested “nobody” believes Clemson can win at LSU, Swinney quickly responded.
“Well, we’re a bunch of nobodies,” Swinney said.
Then he made his point.
“Our team believes,” Swinney said. “So it’s really not about what other people believe. It’s about what our team believes.”
— Swanny
