Sunday Notebook: Swinney Recaps Clemson's Win Over NC State, Updates Status of Bryan Bresee
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Dabo Swinney's Tigers continued its recent dominance of NC State on Saturday night, as No. 5 Clemson knocked off the No. 10 Wolfpack for the ninth time in 10 games.
The 30-20 win avenged last season's double-overtime loss in Raleigh, moving the Tigers to 5-0 on the season, and putting Clemson in the driver's seat in the ACC Atlantic.
The Tigers used a suffocating defense to hold Devin Leary and the NC State offense in check most of the night, limiting the Wolfpack to 34 rushing yards and 1.6 yards per carry. It was the least amount of rushing yards for the Wolfpack against the Tigers since 2001. Clemson's front four spent much of the night harassing Leary, with the defensive line controlling the line of scrimmage.
Swinney met with members of the media on Sunday night to recap the win and update the status of DT Bryan Bresee, who missed the game dealing with a kidney issue.
"Everything was good again (Sunday)," Swinney said regarding the status of Bresee. "They'll check him again in the morning just making sure everything stays where it needs to be with the issue he's dealing with. So you know, it'll be day to day until they say he can go full speed. But all things keep trending in the right direction."
Sunday Notebook
Swinney thought his team won the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Was extremely pleased with the offensive line. For the second straight week, the pass protection was excellent and the group also opened some lanes in the running game.
The head coach also said the Tigers got another "outstanding" performance from QB DJ Uiagalelei. Swinney also noted how much more confident Uiagalelei is running the ball, and it's showing on the field, as he had a career-high 73 rushing yards.
"That's what good players do," he said. "Great players have consistency in their performance, regardless of who they play against and it's good to see. That was definitely a big night for him."
Swinney also talked about the next step for the offense, noting his team needs to cut down on some of the penalties and the other kinds of mistakes, like the early snap, that put them behind the chains.
"We had some critical penalties," he said. "We haven't really been doing that. Jumped offside a couple of times. We felt like we had a great play call the one play where we snapped the ball early. Wasn't a bad snap, we just snapped it early and nobody was ready. So now you're 10 yards there. So yeah, I mean, we had 25 negative yards, we like to have none, but 10 of them on one play. Definitely continue to clean up any negative plays but really proud of how they protected our quarterback."
Swinney said the team had a great week of practice and really thinks that is where this game was won.
Swinney also mentioned how pleased he is with RBs Will Shipley and Phil Mafah, noting Mafah showed off his potential to be an "all-conference" type of player.
"That's when we're at our best around here when we can involve a lot of different players and we can win different ways and that's who we've been for a long time," Swinney said. "That makes you dangerous when you got a lot of guys that can do something with it. We've got a bunch of guys that can make plays. You saw Mafah get in there last night. I mean, really nice runs and none bigger than that third-and-9."
Regarding the revamped coaching staff, the two new coordinators, in particular, Swinney gives both an "A" for their performance through the first five games.
"We're 5-0," he said. "It hasn't been perfect but the name of the game is to find a way to win. So we've been able to do that. We've been able to come up with the crucial stop when we've had to have it and the crucial score when we've had to have it. That's ultimately what it's all about, but we are really settling in and growing."
Swinney called the NC State game CB Nate Wiggins' best to date. The head coach said he did a really good job of "staying dialed in and focused," unlike a week ago against Wake Forest.
Swinney gave an assessment of freshman WR Adam Randall, saying he has now gotten his legs under him and is "ready for prime time." The head coach said he just hasn't had the opportunities yet, but they are "coming."
The Tigers will now turn their attention towards Boston College, as Clemson hits the road for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff against the Eagles, who are coming off a big 34-33 win over Louisville.
"Refocus, and get ready to grow with another great week of preparation," Swinney said. "A long trip to Boston, late night, so we got to be able to go on the road now and play a complete game against a team that's gonna have a lot of confidence coming off a big win against Louisville. A team that plays really well at home. So excited about turning the page and getting focused on BC."
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