They said it: No. 1 Clemson 52, Charlotte 10
CLEMSON QUARTERBACK CHASE BRICE
On team performance:
“I think it starts with everybody doing their job and knowing what to do. We’re playing Clemson every week, so we’re going to practice to a standard and then play to a standard.”
On team’s motivation:
“We were excited to play, and we knew the fans were going to come. I think it was a sold out crowd. It’s just awesome, and it gets us excited seeing everybody out there.”
On team improvement:
“We’re definitely going to build off of this game. We did a lot of good things tonight. All we can do from this game is look back at the film and build on it.”
CLEMSON DEFENSIVE END K.J. HENRY
On game atmosphere:
“Tonight was really awesome. It was just great to see the fans come out tonight.”
On amount of player participation:
“Coach [Swinney] said that we played 110 players tonight. At this game and at this level, not everybody gets that shine, so it’s good to see those guys that have worked really hard to finally get rewarded.”
On team performance:
“From the jump this week, we knew we were playing a great team. We watched the film, and we knew they were hands down the best running team [Clemson had faced], and they showed it tonight. It was the biggest game of the year because it was the next one, and I think we played well.
CLEMSON SAFETY LANNDEN ZANDERS
On team performance:
“[The] team effort was great, [and] the preparation was great, so that let us come out and dominate. We knew not to underestimate them because they are a great rushing team. They’ve put up points against other tough opponents.”
On how team is feeling ⅓ of the way through the season:
“Mentally and physically, we’re feeling good. Every guy, right now, is healthy. Mentally, we’re there. We just need to keep pushing ourselves and get better.”
CLEMSON QUARTERBACK TAISUN PHOMMACHANH
On his performance
“I think I played alright. I think there’s always room for improvement. Tomorrow we have to get back to the quarterback room and fix our mistakes.”
On the interception:
“I got the ball, and I was looking out to the receiver. It just left my hand a little bit high. It sailed on me a little bit, and the DB made a good play.”
On 110 players playing:
“It just builds us as a team. I think we all went out there. Coach [Dabo] Swinney, he likes to set up a lot of guys, so we all went in there and just did what we did.”
CLEMSON WIDE RECEIVER JOSEPH NGATA
On touchdown:
“Chase [Brice] threw a great ball. I just caught it and scored.”
On scoring first touchdown of Clemson career:
“It felt unreal, honestly. I caught it, I was running, and I was like, ‘Dang, I should score.’”
On team depth:
“That’s all Coach Swinney preaches about: best is the standard, and best is not only for the first group. It’s for everyone.”
CLEMSON RUNNING BACK MICHEL DUKES
On his touchdown run:
“When Taisun [Phommachanh] gave me the ball, I was just looking for a crease to run through, and the [offensive] line did an awesome job setting it up. Then from there, the wide receiver set the block.”
On getting to play and contribute:
“It was great. We were practicing the whole week, taking it one game at a time. To come out and do what we did was awesome.”
On expectations of an undefeated season:
“We’re just taking it one game at a time. We’ve got this motto: ‘our next game is the most important game,’ so we’re just taking it like that.”
CHARLOTTE HEAD COACH WILL HEALY
On performance
“Yeah, obviously really impressed with Clemson. They did an unbelievable job. [I was] impressed by the way their guys played and they really got after us. I think we compounded it by making a few mistakes of our own. You know, the pick six, we can’t do. And too many penalties; I think we had 12 or 13 penalties. We definitely didn’t help ourselves but give them credit. They did exactly what they were expected to do and they got after us.”
On run game success
“I think Benny Lemay’s a really good running back. I was proud of those guys, you know, Malik Harkness was stepping in; Dominic Taylor was down and then Fish went down and Gage had to come in. At one point in time we were down three or four offensive linemen. I thought those guys still did a good job of at least covering guys up and Benny ran really hard.
On passing game struggles
“Well I think you’ve gotta give them a lot of credit. They’re really, really good. And, again, I don’t think we did a whole lot of things to help ourselves on top of it. We didn’t throw the ball great, but I don’t know. They’ve got some really good DBs and they put pressure on our quarterback so I don’t know if they were a whole lot of throws we could have made.”
On defensive performance
“Well, I think the problem that I’m having right now is giving up so many points on defense that aren’t coming on defense. I think this is four straight games now with either a special teams touchdown or a pick six or something. They’re putting points up on the board in other ways than just giving them up on defense. I think we responded… and we had a hard time getting them off the field. I think they only played, you know, in the second half and that’s how dynamic their offense is. But I didn’t think we ever quit or laid down. I just don’t think we executed that well.”
On the fight of his team
“Yeah, I mean, they’re going tempo with 45 seconds left in the game and we’re tired. We’re worn out, and you couldn’t lay down. And they didn’t. And I think time after time we’ve shown that we will continue to fight. And so I am very proud of it. I hope that becomes a staple of our program. We’re still not good enough to shoot ourselves in the foot, turn the ball over, have thirteen penalties and expect to be in the game, especially against the number one team in the country.”