Sunday Night notes: Swinney says win was "a fun day" |
Head coach
Dabo Swinney says that Saturday’s win over Georgia Tech put the fun back in Clemson football.
Clemson defeated Georgia Tech 42-21 on Military Appreciation Day in Death Valley and now awaits North Carolina (3:30 pm, ESPN) in the final home game of the season. "Defensively, we were outstanding. We gave up 112 yards total with our ones. Overall, a great day,” Swinney said during his Sunday night teleconference. “Turnovers, interceptions, pick-six, pressures ... just a great job. I'm proud of them. A lot of guys stepped up. A lot of competitive plays. Still, though, plenty that we can improve upon. Offensively, Cade (Klubnik) was outstanding. It was a fun day. We were really balanced on offense. We felt we could run the ball, and we did that, and it opened up some things in the passing game. We had about eight or nine guys who had big plays for us. We protected well, too. We had some miscues up front, but our offensive line did a nice job. We played a lot of guys. We dropped a few balls and had a couple of penalties that were unnecessary and an interception, but overall, again, a really good day. "We have another opportunity this week with a ranked team. North Carolina is having a great year with a great win yesterday. It's senior day, so we look forward to another great week of preparation. "Injury-wise, probably one of our cleanest games.” The news was not all good, however – tight end Sage Ennis is lost for the rest of the season. “Sage, we did lose him. He tore his ACL, so he's going to have to have surgery this week,” Swinney said. “I hate that for him. He has made some big plays and is one of our most physical guys. He was the one major injury that we had." On missed targeting on Will Shipley against NC State and GT "Yes, we send everything in that we disagree with, and we do get a response. It's kind of confidential on what those responses are. I will say that the director is very forthright and calls it like it is whether he agrees with you or not. But yes, we turn everything in, whether it's a missed hold or a PI. We've had several things turned in over the year that they have missed and other things that they don't agree with. At least you have good communication. You use it to educate yourselves and your team. They use it, too, so that they're holding their guys accountable. It doesn't help in the moment, but at least there is accountability. It does affect them in how they get games and postseason, too. But yes, that's definitely one we will turn in. We usually get a response a day after." On replacing Ennis “Josh (Sapp) is ready. He has been waiting his time. He is a very natural athlete. He's very instinctive and understands the nuances of the game. He has played running back, safety, linebacker, defensive end, everything. He has a unique athleticism to him. He plays with great confidence. He took advantage of his opportunity yesterday. It also puts Olsen (Patt-Henry) in the fray as well. We have high expectations for him. Markus Dixon is another guy who can now play if we need him to since there are only a couple games left. Our depth starting this week will be deeper." More on the fake punt "It was just an alert. We should have punted the ball there. We didn't execute it well. You make a call, and it didn't work out. Nobody's fault but mine there. it didn't go the way you want it."
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