Swinney says Tigers will be ready for "unusual" rematch with Notre Dame

Swinney reacts to a call against Notre Dame. (Photo courtesy ACC)

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Dec 09 11:01:03 GMT-04:00 2020

Students on the Clemson campus are undergoing final exams this week, and that includes members of the third-ranked Tiger football team. The football Tigers will get their final ACC exam on Dec. 19th when they face 10-0 and second-ranked Notre Dame in the ACC Championship Game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

Kickoff is set for 4 pm and the game will be televised on ABC. Clemson has opened as a 7 1/2 point favorite over the Irish.

Both teams have an open date this week in advance of the championship game, and Swinney said that there are no secrets between the two teams – each team has its identity by now.

"Both teams have an open date this week. It's Game 11, we are who we are and they are who they are. The things that got you there, you're not just all of a sudden going to get away from those things,” Swinney said. “I think you've got to be good at what you do. You certainly can learn from your first matchup, but at the end of the day, it comes down to execution and taking care of the ball. We had three turnovers in the game. We did not play well up front like we needed to. We gave up big plays. We have a lot we can clean up, things that we can control. That's where it starts for us, it's more about us than it is them.

"Then you have to go make the plays. I don't necessarily think you trick people in games like this. You have to out-execute them. We are excited about heading to Charlotte for a huge game with Notre Dame. Congrats to Notre Dame, they have obviously had a great season. This is championship football, this is what you work for. Unusual in college football you get a chance to play a team twice in the same season, but we are looking forward to it. What an opportunity."

Swinney said that Notre Dame’s double-overtime win a month ago in South Bend – a game in which Clemson was down several starters – has no bearing on what happens next week.

"That was a great win for them. They made a few more plays than we did,” Swinney said. “But none of that matters in this one. You do it all over again. You don't get to carry over the good plays or the mistakes. You gotta go earn it next Saturday."

Clemson defeated Virginia Tech 45-10 last weekend in Blacksburg, and Swinney said he was proud of his team’s effort considering the environment.

“Really proud of our guys' mentality and energy last Saturday with the weather and nobody in the stands,” Swinney said. “Just a good group of people and they work really hard. Punching our ticket to our sixth ACC title game in a row. Our seniors got their 50th win. Think there are only 11 groups in FBS history to do that. We had good offensive balance. The game really went how I thought it would go as far as style of play, but I did not think we'd get that few of plays. Our fewest plays by far, but our most yards per play of the season.

"It was a tale of two halves for our defense. Didn't play well in the first half but just dominant in the second half. We missed some fits in the first half and they popped a couple of plays on us, but we really took it over in the second half. Probably the biggest disappointment was we didn't punt the ball well. Will Spiers has had a great year but he had a bad day. I expect him to respond to that.”