Wednesday Practice Report: Defense Taking Ownership

Another week, another crucial ACC showdown for Clemson.

Dabo Swinney's fifth-ranked Tigers (7-0, 5-0) host No. 14 Syracuse (6-0, 3-0) in a battle for control of the ACC Atlantic. After allowing more than 200 rushing yards in the win over Florida State, the head coach wanted to see his defense respond this week in practice.

"Absolutely. I mean they're competitors," Swinney said. "Guys take pride in their performance. Really the biggest thing is just gotta tackle well, and that's fundamental. Just wrapping up. Being where you're supposed to be when you're supposed to be there. But absolutely, this is a very competitive bunch. These guys take a lot of pride in their performance, and anytime we don't do something as well as we'd like, there's always a lot of effort to get better."

Wednesday Notebook

- Swinney noted that Clemson's corners were a bright spot in the win over Florida State and that they will need to continue to play at a high level, as Syracuse WR Oronde Gadsden provides another unique challenge.

"The corners were a bright spot for us in that game, for sure," Swinney said. "But (Gadsden) is a new challenge and a great player and they move him all over the place from the backfield, slot, to the boundaries of the field, he's a little bit everywhere. And they got other guys. They got two or three other players that can hurt you, as well."

- Despite the return of Sheridan Jones, Swinney said freshman corner Toriano Pride would still get opportunities.

"He'll continue to get opportunities to play and just keep getting better," the head coach said. "It's just nice to have a guy that's got a lot of experience. Toriano, he's a great young talent, but he doesn't have the same type of experience as a guy like Sheridan. You'll continue to see him play and stay ready."

- On playing the week before an open date, and keeping the team focused on the task at hand, Swinney said you treat each week the same.

"The weeks no different," he said. "I mean, today's Working Man Wednesday. All the focus should be on what's in front of you. No different than if you had another game next week. You're not sitting here on Wednesday thinking about that game. Just continue to do what we do. And we don't even talk about the open date. We just focus on the opponent that's in front of us."

- Swinney called Dino Babers an excellent coach with a great track record, noting that he is always pulling for him, except for this week.

"He's one of the more steady people out there," Swinney said. "They've made a great decision obviously, in continuing to believe in their coach. He's really good, and one of the toughest teams that we compete against every single year. So really happy for him that he's had a great year and pull for him... all but this one."

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