Keith Maguire: Clemson 'resets' every week to maintain 'focus and intensity'

On keeping focus throughout the season:

“Every week, we reset. It’s not really about ranked opponents. Obviously, those games are big media-wise, but every game is just as important. As soon as you lose one, you aren’t in control of your destiny anymore. Every week we make sure to bring the same amount of focus and intensity to practice.”

On his own performance:

“I think I brought a good physicality to the game. We knew that they were a physical team and that it was going to be a physical game. We knew it was going to be a battle in the trenches this game. I was able to handle the environment well and was loud out there on defense.”

On the potential growth of the defense:

“I think the team overall still has so much to improve, and our limit is the sky right now. As soon as we start putting it all together, there’ll be a lot more blowouts and stuff. As a defense, it’s little things like cleaning up each week and, you know, I think we’ve been improving every week, and if we keep doing that, then it’s gonna be a good end of the year.”

On the trajectory of the season:

“Right now, it's a better feeling knowing we control it. Every game matters right now, so every week, we need to continue this high energy and keep the momentum we’ve got going.”

On practice last week:

“Sometimes, week after week, you can get caught up in it and get tired of small details. But, games are won in practice. We’ve got a lot to improve on, and you can tell from Wednesday and Saturday that we really improved, and I think it showed on the field as well.”