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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCENovember 20, 2013Dabo SwinneyCOACH SWINNEY: Really proud of our guys and how they competed last Thursday night. Just a big win for us. Happy to be 9‑1 at this point in time. It was a good off weekend for our players. And this is a special week for us here at Clemson going into our last home game, it's Senior Day, it's Military Appreciation Day for us, and so this is a special weekend, a sellout crowd, and really excited about hosting the citadel and you know, our senior group, seeing them finish their career here at Death Valley. Will be a bittersweet day but looking forward to another tough challenge in the Citadel Bulldogs and hopefully finding a way to get win No.10. Q. What does it mean to you playing against this team? COACH SWINNEY: Well, I have great respect for the Citadel and Coach Higgins in particular. I've had an opportunity to coach against Coach Higgins, and just have a great respect for how they handle their business, the way they have to recruit, all of the things that they deal with. And from a military standpoint and football, and I just think that, you know, they do a great job down there, have kept up with them for quite a while. And for it to BeMilitary Appreciation Day for us and hosting a military school, I just think that really adds to the weekend and again, it's just a privilege to be able to take a little time and take this game that people love so much and bring recognition and honor to our military and the great sacrifice and service that they give all of us. Q. I know a lot of schools wear different uniforms. Are you wearing camo or any military stuff for Saturday? COACH SWINNEY: We do. We do every year actually. I know for the last several years, we've worn some camo and it will be the same this weekend for us. Q. Just looking at the ACC schedule, and it seems to me that this late in the season, five teams in the league are going outside the league and three of them are playing FCS teams, which is something I'm used to seeing at the first of the season but not at the end. Can you talk about the philosophy of stepping out of the league this late and what you're looking for scheduling? COACH SWINNEY: Well, I just think it's a very common thing for a lot of the teams. Most of the teams that have a traditional big rival game at the end of the year. This has become kind of part of the scheduling philosophy, if you will, in that. You look at Alabama I think plays Chattanooga this week. I'm not sure who Auburn plays. But getting their guys ready for next week, this is the first time for us that we have, you know, had a non‑conference game before we play South Carolina. I just think it's a bitter situation from a scheduling standpoint, but in a perfect scenario‑‑ sometimes you just don't have any other choice or option. If you can, it's good, and I think that's what you've seen in a lot of these other teams. I know Florida State, I think they play‑‑ I think it's Idaho, I think. I'm not sure, I think Florida is playing somebody else, maybe an FCS school. So just part of the philosophy of trying to get your guys ready for a final big challenge to end your season and get everybody ready for that post‑season play. Q. Is it difficult at all, you're talking about emotionally, it's Senior Day, so that should generate plenty of emotion. Is there any danger of looking ahead to a tougher game and taking this one lightly? COACH SWINNEY: I don't think it's any different than any other game throughout the year. You just try to‑‑ you're just trying to have the best season you possibly can. And for us it's the mentality every week that, hey, the season starts today and this is the most important day of the year, and trying to just play to a standard each and every week, not to the opponent or to a league or to a ranking or anything like that. I mean, it's about just playing to that standard, being the best you can be. Our guys have done a great job of that. We've been very, very consistent because of that mentality, whether you‑‑ or you get a big win against Georgia and then you've got to go play South Carolina State the next week and that's not a knock against South Carolina State. Obviously a difference in emotions and our guys have done a great job; or, you have a tough loss and you have to go on the road, being able to respond in both of those situations is a huge part of being able to have a consistent program. Q. The Alabama/Auburn game is coming up, and you've played at Alabama. Wanted to get your thoughts on what that game meant to you and how big that game was. COACH SWINNEY: Well, it's a huge, huge game. It was a privilege to be‑‑ I grew up obviously at Alabama, and like a lot of the kids in that state, the dream was to be a part of the Alabama/Auburn game, and I was part of 13 of them. A lot of great memories, huge emotions. Great when you win; really, really tough when you lose. Just like it is here in the Clemson/South Carolina game. It's a privilege to be a part of a game like that, and again, great when you win and very difficult when you lose. Should be a great one for us and a great one for them both‑‑ all four teams playing at a high level and all four teams, top‑ten type team. That's the way it ought to be in college football. Q. Georgia Tech, Robby Godhigh, just curious your impressions of him and what he can do. COACH SWINNEY: Shoot, he was great in our game. He was I think the first guy in the history to have 100 yards rushing and receiving against Clemson. So I have great regard for him. I thought he was a heck of a player going into the game and certainly coming out of the game, he made some big, big plays for them. He's not very big, but he plays big on the field. Q. Do you feel like he deserves consideration as a top running back? He plays true tailback, but all‑ACC? COACH SWINNEY: Absolutely. I'm sure he's definitely a candidate for that. He's had an excellent year along with Sims, their guy in the backfield. He's had a great year, too. Q. Last year was on the disappointing side for Sammy Watkins, at least by the standards he's set in his freshman year. How would you say that he has bounced back this year? He leads the conference in receiving yardage and he's averaging 15 yards a catch, nine touchdowns. What kind of a‑‑ how would you sum up the year? COACH SWINNEY: Well, just again, I wasn't in that crowd that thought he had a bad year last year. I just think‑‑ he was very productive for when he was on the field. He really only played in about seven games, so the continuity and the consistency and the rhythm was never there. And Nuke Hopkins was having such a big year. But this year, he's been on the field every week and all of those things have been there, the consistency, the continuity, the rhythm, all of that. He has I think been the best receiver in the country. I don't think there's any doubt about it in my mind. Just incredible season, some unbelievably explosive plays. He's made great catches, a lot of yards after the catch, a lot of big plays downfield. He's ran the ball very, very well, a lot of yards after contact. So he's just had a great, great season and really proud of him. In three years' time, he's going to have just about every record in the books here at Clemson, records that have been there for a long time. I'm really proud of him, the consistency he's played with; and he's worked so hard. It's easy to coach guys‑‑ other guy, especially when your best players are your hardest workers. And Sammy Watkins is obviously the best player, and, man, he sets a standard for everybody else from a work ethic standpoint and that just makes it easy to coach this team. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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