Swinney Wanted to Send a Message

CLEMSON — Head coach Dabo Swinney obviously wanted to send a message to his team, the fans and the media that the mindset at Clemson has changed. And that was exactly what he did on the Tigers' first series of the game.

With the entire country wondering, was Swinney telling the truth? Is quarterback Trevor Lawrence really OK? Is the offense really OK? Swinney decided to waste little time proving the doubters wrong, as HE called the first two plays of the game — a deep shot for a 40-yard gain to Tee Higgins and a halfback pass for a 23-yard gain from running back Travis Etienne to Justyn Ross.

"I said, 'We're going to open up with a deep ball and the second play is going to be halfback pass if it's third and 10, better have a third and 10 play ready, but that's what we're going to do.' I just felt like I needed to set the mindset," Swinney said. "and really challenge these guys...on how we were going to go play and how we were going to attack."

Most coaches have a play chart for positions of the field that dictate the best plays to call, but play chart be damned, Swinney was going to take his shots early against the Florida State Seminoles.

"Even to the point that even if it was on the right hash, I could care less," Swinney said. "Etienne, you better learn how to throw going to your left, because we're calling it."

The reason for the aggressive, Swinney-led approach was not to necessarily appease those in the media or the fanbase that had questioned the Tigers play through the first five games.

It was to get back to having the mindset that they needed to have, and they didn't have in their last game–a one-point victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels two weeks ago.

"I just think our guys had a little edge to them that we didn't have up at North Carolina and I needed to really send that message, and I did," Swinney said. "I told them, 'I don't even care. We may be three and out punt, I don't care, but we're going to attack right from the opening snap.'"

The Tigers gained 63 yards on the first two plays that led to the first of six touchdowns in the game.

But that was not the way that Swinney had planned it.

"You know, the only thing that didn't go, I was hoping we'd score on the first play and then the next series score on the halfback pass, but it didn't work that way," Swinney said with a laugh. "I don't know if we've ever caught a halfback pass, but we did, it worked. Actually (Etienne) made a pretty good throw, so he's over there lobbying for more quarterback opportunity, but it was great, you know, it was a great start and fun for the guys, but again they had a little edge to them, because they knew how we were going to come into the game."

The Tigers appeared to have used their bye week the way that Swinney had hoped they would–to refocus, get healthy and prepare for the stretch of games that will ultimately decide if they will have a chance to win the league for a fifth straight time

"The break was awesome for us," Swinney said. "You know, you go from July 31 all through camp and then you play five games and it's a grind, and so it was a good break. The guys had really good focus, but we had fun. The guys had fun, they looked loose and I liked that, so it was a good day.

"We're 6-0. Good start to October, and thought we had a great week of practice, it showed, and have another tough challenge going back on the road next week. Another division game, you know, we really have four days that are going to determine the division championship. So, it's playoff football. Every snap is a championship play, that's how you have to look at it, and so I just want to see us keep the momentum and take what I saw today, and take it on the road up to Louisville next week and continue to play well."

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