Swinney: "We really have one goal-- To win the opener"

Dabo Swinney met with the media Thursday to preview Clemson's 2023 opener at Duke. Here are a few quick notes. We will have the full audio here for you in a moment and video and more coming later today. We will continue to update this article with quotes and notes until around 1 PM today.

Opening Statements: Mentions all those who have been affected by Hurricane Idalia and keeping them in your thoughts and prayers.

On the opener: “Duke is a really good football team. I have a lot of respect for Coach Elko, well-coached team. Tough opened. There are so many unknowns, whether coaching changes or personnel. There’s a lot of time to get ready, but you haven’t played football. Then you throw in the fact that it’s on the road, and it’s a conference game. It’s a huge opportunity for both teams.”

“They’ve got thousands of snaps across the board. They’ve got 19 starters back combined. It’s an incredibly experienced team. It’s going to be a lot of fun to be a part of.”

“We really have one goal-- To win the opener. This is my 15th year and we haven’t had a championship team that didn’t win the opener. It’s a very important goal for us. It always has been. Excited to see us go compete.”

On Riley Leonard: "It's a game of space. Being able to extend plays-- create space for your receivers. Then, when people play coverage, keep your offense on schedule by taking the 5 to 6-yard plays. This guy is a problem. He can make all the throws. He makes them go because you cover everybody up, and there he goes. He’s a really, really, fast dude. He can run away from you.”

On Tyler Brown: “He’s a really good football player. He can really run. Surprised how quickly he’s been able to pick things up. Good ball skills, strong hands. He’s got some compact power to him. He plays bigger than he is. He’s not a big guy, but he plays a lot bigger than he is. He and Tink have shown that they can help us. We are trying to hold Tink-- if we can-- because there is only so many snaps. Tyler has just competed with everybody out there.”

On what he’s most excited about: “I want to see our offensive line. They are excited to go play. I want us to win because of them. They’ve put in a lot of work. We’ve got some depth and some guys that deserve to play. I don’t think people expect much from our OL for some reason. I’m ready to see these guys go play.”

On the unknowns that Clemson presents: “I just think it’s fun to go play. It’s a new team every year. There are always new players. I remember when I got the job, “Roll Tide” right? They had a guy named Terrance Cody-- by the end of the 1st quarter, Google.com: “Who is this guy?”

On WR Troy Stellato: “He’s looked pretty good. He has flashed for sure. He is a guy that could help us if he can stay available.”

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