Swinney: It's 'special' getting back to ACC Championship for 7th time in eight years

In his opening statement, Swinney discussed Clemson’s opportunity to play this weekend in the ACC Championship game: "Getting back to Charlotte-- something to be able to get back there for the 7th time in the past eight years is special. It's not easy to do. They've earned it."

He also reflected on the loss to South Carolina: "Yesterday was a tough day. That's just part of it. You reset. You own it. You learn from it. You get everybody on the same page, and you get back to work. That's what you do. It's not acceptable for us to lose that game-- you've got to deal with it, but it's not acceptable."

Swinney spoke highly of UNC and QB Drake Maye: “Offensively, they’re the best we’ve seen by far. They really are very good and they're consistent. The quarterback is a great football player. He was probably leading for the Heisman going into the Georgia Tech game. He doesn’t miss many... He’s a very good player. That’s why we recruited him.”

He discussed UNC’s improvement: "This is a team that struggled early defensively and has gotten better as the year has gone along. They have really improved as a unit defensively."

Swinney also discussed the passing game: "We got better. Especially if you look at the first part of the season, we were passing the ball a lot better. We've had some injuries. Disappointing the way we finished-- we threw for 100 yards. Up until Notre Dame, we were doing a pretty good job. Lack of production by a few people-- injuries and some missed opportunities. Not where we need to be. At all."

On Beaux Collins‍’ injury situation‍: “He’ll be done. we gotta fix it because it just keeps coming out.”