Beat-up Tigers looking forward to matchup with surging Seminoles

Swinney and the Tigers last played FSU in 2019 in Death Valley.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tue Oct 26 13:07:23 GMT-04:00 2021

CLEMSON – Clemson might be a 10-point favorite over Florida State this weekend, but head coach Dabo Swinney says the Seminoles are a much better team than the one that started the season 0-4.

Swinney met with the media Tuesday to discuss the matchup of the Tigers (4-2 overall, 3-2 ACC) with Florida State (3-4, 2-2). The game is scheduled for 3:30 pm Saturday in Death Valley (ESPN). The teams didn’t play last season and the Tigers have won five in a row in the series.

"I am impressed with what Florida State has done. They have improved,” Swinney said. “They started out 0-4. I'm impressed with their staff. They had a couple of heartbreaking losses but have played a lot better. Their quarterback has really settled them down. He is a very confident player. He's tough, a natural leader and he makes plays. He can flat out beat you. They are doing a great job schematically. He can just move. He's a great scrambler and has created a lot of explosives. This kid is dangerous. Their running game is leading the nation in rushing in October. They had 11 turnovers in the first four games. The last three? Three turnovers.

"Their defense is playing very well. They gave up some big plays early, but they have gotten better. No. 11 (Jermaine Robinson) is probably the best defensive end we have seen, a great player. They are huge inside. They have changed what they do structurally over the first few games. A challenging group that is playing with a lot of confidence. They are way better than their record."

The Tigers should get three players back from the injured/COVID list while another starter will miss the game.

"Injury-wise, it's well documented what we have dealt with this year. We hope we will have EJ Williams, (Hunter) Rayburn and Joe Ngata back this week, which is huge,” Swinney said. “Not sure about Jake Venables. He will be close but we may not know until game-time. Kobe Pace will be out this week, in COVID protocol. I am thankful we got (Will) Shipley back this week. So we'll go with Shipley, (Phil) Mafah and (Darien) Rencher. Again, it has been a crazy year from an injury standpoint.”

Shipley returned from injury last week and carried the ball 10 times for 52 yards against Pitt.

“What you see is what you get. He is a great, young talent,” Swinney said. “He came back so fast and it was amazing. He worked so hard. He plays with heart, passion and toughness. He's like a blade of grass. Some of that is just him being a freshman and settling in. I don't want to change anything about him. I want him to be who he is."

Swinney said his program has dealt with a ton of adversity this season.

"Football is tough. It's a tough game. Sometimes you can have a year where you deal with a lot of craziness. I've never had a year like this where we have had this many injuries,” he said. “I'm talking about players who are in our rotation and starting. This year has reinforced how hard it is to win, the little things. With us, the margin has been small. It's still right there, though. We have been in a position to win every game. We have an opportunity to learn from the struggle. We are teaching a lot of lessons to players who are going to be back here. It has been a challenge but you have to embrace it.

"You lean on the foundation. It's belief in yourself, routine, details, fundamentals, technique. They're very important when the margin for error is small. In seven games we have started 43 players. We know what the problems are. We know what the problems are on offense. We don't need anyone to let us know. We're here everyday."

He said the adversity is good for the players and the coaches.

"We have a lot of positives. We have a foundation here that is well-established. We'll get through it and it'll make us better,” Swinney said. “We'll be better this year, a lot of ball left. This is one season in the midst of a great journey, one of the greatest runs in college football history. There is a lot more to come. I am a lot better coach now than when I started. Our staff is better now than we have ever been. We'll look back and say this was a moment in the middle of a great journey. Hopefully I've got another 20 years or so. I'm only 51 now.

"You walk off the field and there are thousands of people saying DJ stinks. That's great for that kid. You'll get way too much blame and way too much credit. As a player and a coach, you learn to embrace that. We won the national title and it took me a month to just read through the text messages. You lose one and you got five text messages ... your mom, preacher, wife, your fifth grade teacher. People have short memories. But hey, that's what makes this level so good. Sometimes you need to go through things like this to give you perspective for the future."