Swinney 'proud of team', Now Must Prepare for 'Best' Offense Tigers Have Seen
After Clemson's six-year streak of ACC titles ended in 2021, the No. 10/11 Tigers will attempt to reclaim the conference crown and earn their seventh title in eight years when they face the No. 24/22 North Carolina Tar Heels in the 2022 ACC Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 3. Kickoff at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte is set for 8 p.m. ET.
"I'm really proud of our team for winning the division, the last-ever Atlantic Division. I'm excited to get back to Charlotte for the seventh time in the last eight years," Dabo Swinney said. "That's special, it's special to have that type of consistency, especially after we didn't do it for 20 years prior to 2011. It's not easy to do. They've earned it. North Carolina has earned it as well. Both teams have earned it.
"For us, we have two goals left. We won't hit all five goals this year but if we hit four out of five, that's a great year."
A win Saturday would be Clemson's eighth ACC Championship Game victory since the ACC instituted the conference championship game (and divisional format) in 2005, including a win in a division-free year in 2020.
An eighth conference title would tie Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney with College Football Hall of Famer Frank Howard (eight, including six ACC titles) for the most conference championships in Clemson history. A win would also make Clemson the first team in an active Power Five conference to win seven outright conference titles in an eight-year span since Alabama won eight outright SEC titles in nine years from 1971-79.
"This North Carolina team struggled defensively early but has gotten better as the year has gone on. They had a lot of injuries. They have gotten stronger. They have some of the best corners we have seen, linebackers that stand out to you and talent up front," Swinney said. "Offensively, they are the best we have seen by far. They are very good. They're consistent. Their quarterback is a great, great, football player. He was probably leading for the Heisman going into the Georgia Tech game. That was probably his worst game. He just missed a few players. He's elite, which is why we recruited him. He puts the ball where guys have a chance to make a play.
"They have good backs. Drake (Maye) has 35 touchdowns and five picks, so he takes care of the ball. He's also their leading rusher. Good tempo team with a lot of shifts and motions. They do a lot of things that we do from a run-game standpoint, a lot of motions and counters. They have the best player we have seen and that's No. 11. He will have his name called early. He's special. He can catch everything. He's quick as a cat and has great football savvy. They get him the ball every which way. You better know where is. No. 3, No. 5 are good players, good tight ends, talent everywhere."
After averaging 2.6 sacks per game in Clemson's first nine games, the Tigers' pass rush has increased its production in recent weeks. Clemson produced 13 sacks (4.3 per game) in Clemson's three-game homestand to end the regular season. With 36 sacks this season, Clemson needs four more sacks to continue its streak as the only program in the country to reach 40 sacks in every season in the College Football Playoff era.
If the Tigers are to get past the Tar Heels, they will need their defense to harass Maye, who has put together a season worthy of an invite to New York for the Heisman.
"They have a lot of dynamic playmakers, none more so than their quarterback who has had a Heisman-type year," Swinney said.
"He's a great one. He can only do his job, right? Teams win, but he has all the attributes. We loved him. We recruited him and offered him out of high school. He's a winner. He's got a great, competitive streak to him. He has a lot of confidence that he can make the play required. He has a high football IQ. He's an excellent leader. He can move around and run with it. He's a complete player at that position."
But it is not only Maye that can hurt the Tigers, as they have shown to be able to hurt themselves--with turnovers, something they can't afford in the championship game.
"It's a huge concern. If we lose the margin this week, we'll lose the game," Swinney added. "When we have lost to these guys (South Carolina), that's been the common denominator. We when we lost five in a row to them, we lost 15 turnovers to their three. It's a big concern going into this game and it's frustrating. It's fundamental stuff ... guys getting the ball out and away from their body. It's been an issue.
"We've also shown that we can do an outstanding job. The first seven games, we had three turnovers. We're very fortunate to be 3-2 in those five games where we have lost the margin. It's amazing that we have been able to overcome that and had an opportunity yesterday but just didn't get it done."
At No. 10/11, Clemson represents North Carolina's first-ranked opponent of the 2022 season. The Tar Heels are the only team in the ACC this season not to have faced a team ranked in either the AP Poll or Coaches Poll (as of the time of each game).
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