TUES. NEWS CONFERENCE: Swinney on South Carolina, Portal, Injuries, Passing Game, UNC
(Partial transcript & video)
OPENING STATEMENTS: "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. 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.
"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.
"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 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."
Q: Given the fact that Ga. Tech beat UNC with a third string QB and N.C. State beat them with a fourth-string QB, would you consider running out Hunter Johnson? (joking)
SWINNEY: "Ga. Tech played three quarterbacks in that game, I believe. North Carolina was a little off. Ga. Tech leaned on their run game and took the air out of the game some. It was a crazy game for sure."
Q: Have you seen what you wanted to see from your players over the last two days?
SWINNEY: "Yesterday was a tough day, mental Monday. That's part of it. You have to own it and learn from it. You do that and then you go back to work, whether you win or lose. It's always tough when you lose but it's not acceptable for us to lose that game. You deal with it but it's not acceptable. It will never be acceptable. It's been nine years since we had a meeting like that after that game. We had a good practice last night and now it's on to the next one. You better refocus quick. You turn on the tape and you see a really good team."
Q: Does the experience some of your players had in 2019 and 2020 help you some at this point?
SWINNEY: "It's all about these four quarters coming up. None of our players had lost to South Carolina and that didn't help us. It doesn't matter what has happened. It's about today. Now you have to play a great game."
Q: The passing game was work-in-progress entering the season. All things considered, how has the passing game production met your expectations?
SWINNEY: "We got better. We were passing the ball a lot better earlier. We've had some injuries. I'm disappointed with the way we finished. We threw for 100 yards. We got Antonio for a 40-yard gain and we miss it. Then we hit him for a 40-yarder and it's dropped. We've got two slants and those were drops. We're not executing the way we needed to or we didn't this past week. Up until Notre Dame, we were doing a pretty good job. It's a lack of production by a few people. Some missed opportunities. We're not where we need to be ... at all."
Q: You've talked about turning the page over the last two days. How do you actively create that mentality?
SWINNEY: "I have a schedule. I have work that has to be done. We have a routine and the process of processing the game that you just played. We're working Sunday and Sunday night, then it's Monday and the next day. It's the game plan you're working on. You can't sit around and worry about a game whether you win or lose. It's the process of getting ready every week. That's what you have to love to be consistent. It's a common characteristic for consistent winners. It's not that they never lose or have a bad day. It's that they're driven by what it takes to win again. We know what we do on Monday, what we do on Tuesday and so on. There's no time to sit around. You have to go back to work. You plan practices, staff meetings, game-planning, tape planning, recruiting non-stop. When the game was over Saturday, we had 180 people at my house Saturday night. I didn't go hide and cry in the closet. I had to go back and do my job. You lean on that and your routine."
Q: What's recruiting been like since?
SWINNEY: "It's great. Great. I wish we would have won it but we had a bunch of great people in who are excited about their futures, great families. It was really good. A good night."
Q: Your thoughts on the struggles at receiver lately?
SWINNEY: "Lack of confidence and details. I really appreciate Beaux Collins trying to go. He wanted to try to finish. It just wasn't meant to be. We'll probably do surgery on him next week. He's done. We have to fix it.
"I like the young guys that we have. We'll get Cole Turner going on the rest of the way. I think Beaux is a great player and we like Adam Randall and Antonio. We've got some other guys who have struggled."
Q: Are you healthy in your secondary now?
SWINNEY: "Everybody (every team) is banged up. We have to find a way. Sherrod Covil, man he's exactly what you are looking for. I just felt like early he had some immaturity. Since the Florida State game he has made a turn and has gotten in a good groove in what he needs to do. He's going to be a good player. I think he can be better than K'Von Wallace. He's got some swag to him, some fire in his belly. He's got a lot of work to do. K'Von became a great leader and a mature, committed kid. Covil isn't quite there yet. He's got to step up for us this week. No doubt about it."
Q: All three of your starters at linebacker are playing at a high level now. Is this where you expected them to be?
SWINNEY: "Jeremiah is awesome. He is a beast. He is special. We knew that. We saw that last year. He's got great instincts. This spring he kind of separated himself. He has found his swagger. Barrett Carter is just a pure football player. They've had great years for us. They're very committed. Trenton obviously is a special talent."
Q: Is Jalyn Phillips alright now?
SWINNEY: "Yeah. He's just beat up. He's like the car I had in college ... beat up, but still running. He went back in the game when I thought he was done. I told him he couldn't go. He said, 'Coach, I have to go.' He somehow finished. He'll find a way to be ready Saturday night. That's for sure. He's a great kid. He's a captain for us this week."
Q: You said last night that Jordan McFadden is injured, too?
SWINNEY: "He's been hurt the last four weeks. He's just been practicing on Wednesdays and Thursdays. You'd just never know it. He's a great, great player. He's the only senior up front we've got. I've been pleased with that line. I like the young guys that we have. Mitchell wasn't perfect the other day but he's gone in there and done some good things. I'm excited about Sadler and Pennington. They're heading in the right direction. Same thing with Howard and Linthicum. We've been pretty good there."
Q: The lack of a passing game ... what are the little things you're seeing that have impacted you there?
SWINNEY: "Well ... catch the ball. That's No. 1. We missed a couple of throws. We had Antonio wide open and missed it. We made the perfect throw and then it was dropped. We had another one keyed up and then had a bad protection. We had one to Briningstool for about 40 yards and we didn't cut the linebacker properly, so he's (DJ) hit. We have to capitalize. We don't have that type of room for error now. We have to hit the layups. We dropped two slants that were critical first downs. We had five drops in the game. A lot of indicators for winning in that game. We hit just about every indicator that says we win. We had turnovers, poor red zone defense, drops ... it's pretty simple."
Q: Ball security issues are not a reflection of a lack of emphasis in practice, so what more can you do at this point?
SWINNEY: "You just have to point it out everyday and we track BIJs (balls in jeopardy) and in the film. That's football, y'all. It's crazy. Maybe we can say we'll cut off their pinky or something (joking)."
Q: Did you think you were close to getting Drake Maye in recruiting?
SWINNEY: "We were definitely in it. We recruited his brother for basketball, too. I was pretty sure he was going to North Carolina all along."
Q: What's it like to have Tony Dungy visit?
SWINNEY: "He' a good friend and one of my mentors. I really respect him. He reached out and wanted to come to the game. I was glad he was able to come. He's a special person. I have always admired him. He was a mentor of mine before I ever knew him."
Q: You have said you favor divisional play, but what about next season and beyond?
SWINNEY: "I've always enjoyed the divisions. I just think it's good. We've been there and done that before, too ... 2020. The way it's all going, it's not worth offering an opinion on it right now. Five years from now we'll have another conversation, a different conversation. All I'm focused on is trying to win consistently so that we can have a shot. If you're not consistent, you won't last (in this profession). Seven of the last eight years, we've been good enough to get there. We're thankful to have that opportunity. I wish we were 12-0. You don't get any bonus points for going in undefeated. You still have to worry about the next four quarters."
Q: The transfer portal will open in less than a week. Any positions you see that need to be addressed shortly?
SWINNEY: "Who knows. We’ll see what happens. We’re no different than anybody else. I think everybody is susceptible to transition. As I sit here right now, I don’t know. We’ll see. I love our class. I think we’ve filled our needs. But who knows what’s coming down the pike. It’s a real-time world every single day right now with where we are in college football."
Q: Was there some arguing going on with your players Saturday?
SWINNEY: "I didn't hear that. They probably were but I didn't hear that. We had some critical mistakes. Everybody wants to win. When you have one guy in football not do his job properly and it affects everybody, it leads to some frustration. That's just part of it. But that's the first I've heard of that."
CYBER WEEK DEALS on a TON of officially-licensed CLEMSON apparel and gear at The Tiger Fan Shop HERE!
(Partial transcript & video)
OPENING STATEMENTS: "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. 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.
"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.
"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 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."
Q: Given the fact that Ga. Tech beat UNC with a third string QB and N.C. State beat them with a fourth-string QB, would you consider running out Hunter Johnson? (joking)
SWINNEY: "Ga. Tech played three quarterbacks in that game, I believe. North Carolina was a little off. Ga. Tech leaned on their run game and took the air out of the game some. It was a crazy game for sure."
Q: Have you seen what you wanted to see from your players over the last two days?
SWINNEY: "Yesterday was a tough day, mental Monday. That's part of it. You have to own it and learn from it. You do that and then you go back to work, whether you win or lose. It's always tough when you lose but it's not acceptable for us to lose that game. You deal with it but it's not acceptable. It will never be acceptable. It's been nine years since we had a meeting like that after that game. We had a good practice last night and now it's on to the next one. You better refocus quick. You turn on the tape and you see a really good team."
Q: Does the experience some of your players had in 2019 and 2020 help you some at this point?
SWINNEY: "It's all about these four quarters coming up. None of our players had lost to South Carolina and that didn't help us. It doesn't matter what has happened. It's about today. Now you have to play a great game."
Q: The passing game was work-in-progress entering the season. All things considered, how has the passing game production met your expectations?
SWINNEY: "We got better. We were passing the ball a lot better earlier. We've had some injuries. I'm disappointed with the way we finished. We threw for 100 yards. We got Antonio for a 40-yard gain and we miss it. Then we hit him for a 40-yarder and it's dropped. We've got two slants and those were drops. We're not executing the way we needed to or we didn't this past week. Up until Notre Dame, we were doing a pretty good job. It's a lack of production by a few people. Some missed opportunities. We're not where we need to be ... at all."
Q: You've talked about turning the page over the last two days. How do you actively create that mentality?
SWINNEY: "I have a schedule. I have work that has to be done. We have a routine and the process of processing the game that you just played. We're working Sunday and Sunday night, then it's Monday and the next day. It's the game plan you're working on. You can't sit around and worry about a game whether you win or lose. It's the process of getting ready every week. That's what you have to love to be consistent. It's a common characteristic for consistent winners. It's not that they never lose or have a bad day. It's that they're driven by what it takes to win again. We know what we do on Monday, what we do on Tuesday and so on. There's no time to sit around. You have to go back to work. You plan practices, staff meetings, game-planning, tape planning, recruiting non-stop. When the game was over Saturday, we had 180 people at my house Saturday night. I didn't go hide and cry in the closet. I had to go back and do my job. You lean on that and your routine."
Q: What's recruiting been like since?
SWINNEY: "It's great. Great. I wish we would have won it but we had a bunch of great people in who are excited about their futures, great families. It was really good. A good night."
Q: Your thoughts on the struggles at receiver lately?
SWINNEY: "Lack of confidence and details. I really appreciate Beaux Collins trying to go. He wanted to try to finish. It just wasn't meant to be. We'll probably do surgery on him next week. He's done. We have to fix it.
"I like the young guys that we have. We'll get Cole Turner going on the rest of the way. I think Beaux is a great player and we like Adam Randall and Antonio. We've got some other guys who have struggled."
Q: Are you healthy in your secondary now?
SWINNEY: "Everybody (every team) is banged up. We have to find a way. Sherrod Covil, man he's exactly what you are looking for. I just felt like early he had some immaturity. Since the Florida State game he has made a turn and has gotten in a good groove in what he needs to do. He's going to be a good player. I think he can be better than K'Von Wallace. He's got some swag to him, some fire in his belly. He's got a lot of work to do. K'Von became a great leader and a mature, committed kid. Covil isn't quite there yet. He's got to step up for us this week. No doubt about it."
Q: All three of your starters at linebacker are playing at a high level now. Is this where you expected them to be?
SWINNEY: "Jeremiah is awesome. He is a beast. He is special. We knew that. We saw that last year. He's got great instincts. This spring he kind of separated himself. He has found his swagger. Barrett Carter is just a pure football player. They've had great years for us. They're very committed. Trenton obviously is a special talent."
Q: Is Jalyn Phillips alright now?
SWINNEY: "Yeah. He's just beat up. He's like the car I had in college ... beat up, but still running. He went back in the game when I thought he was done. I told him he couldn't go. He said, 'Coach, I have to go.' He somehow finished. He'll find a way to be ready Saturday night. That's for sure. He's a great kid. He's a captain for us this week."
Q: You said last night that Jordan McFadden is injured, too?
SWINNEY: "He's been hurt the last four weeks. He's just been practicing on Wednesdays and Thursdays. You'd just never know it. He's a great, great player. He's the only senior up front we've got. I've been pleased with that line. I like the young guys that we have. Mitchell wasn't perfect the other day but he's gone in there and done some good things. I'm excited about Sadler and Pennington. They're heading in the right direction. Same thing with Howard and Linthicum. We've been pretty good there."
Q: The lack of a passing game ... what are the little things you're seeing that have impacted you there?
SWINNEY: "Well ... catch the ball. That's No. 1. We missed a couple of throws. We had Antonio wide open and missed it. We made the perfect throw and then it was dropped. We had another one keyed up and then had a bad protection. We had one to Briningstool for about 40 yards and we didn't cut the linebacker properly, so he's (DJ) hit. We have to capitalize. We don't have that type of room for error now. We have to hit the layups. We dropped two slants that were critical first downs. We had five drops in the game. A lot of indicators for winning in that game. We hit just about every indicator that says we win. We had turnovers, poor red zone defense, drops ... it's pretty simple."
Q: Ball security issues are not a reflection of a lack of emphasis in practice, so what more can you do at this point?
SWINNEY: "You just have to point it out everyday and we track BIJs (balls in jeopardy) and in the film. That's football, y'all. It's crazy. Maybe we can say we'll cut off their pinky or something (joking)."
Q: Did you think you were close to getting Drake Maye in recruiting?
SWINNEY: "We were definitely in it. We recruited his brother for basketball, too. I was pretty sure he was going to North Carolina all along."
Q: What's it like to have Tony Dungy visit?
SWINNEY: "He' a good friend and one of my mentors. I really respect him. He reached out and wanted to come to the game. I was glad he was able to come. He's a special person. I have always admired him. He was a mentor of mine before I ever knew him."
Q: You have said you favor divisional play, but what about next season and beyond?
SWINNEY: "I've always enjoyed the divisions. I just think it's good. We've been there and done that before, too ... 2020. The way it's all going, it's not worth offering an opinion on it right now. Five years from now we'll have another conversation, a different conversation. All I'm focused on is trying to win consistently so that we can have a shot. If you're not consistent, you won't last (in this profession). Seven of the last eight years, we've been good enough to get there. We're thankful to have that opportunity. I wish we were 12-0. You don't get any bonus points for going in undefeated. You still have to worry about the next four quarters."
Q: The transfer portal will open in less than a week. Any positions you see that need to be addressed shortly?
SWINNEY: "Who knows. We’ll see what happens. We’re no different than anybody else. I think everybody is susceptible to transition. As I sit here right now, I don’t know. We’ll see. I love our class. I think we’ve filled our needs. But who knows what’s coming down the pike. It’s a real-time world every single day right now with where we are in college football."
Q: Was there some arguing going on with your players Saturday?
SWINNEY: "I didn't hear that. They probably were but I didn't hear that. We had some critical mistakes. Everybody wants to win. When you have one guy in football not do his job properly and it affects everybody, it leads to some frustration. That's just part of it. But that's the first I've heard of that."
CYBER WEEK DEALS on a TON of officially-licensed CLEMSON apparel and gear at The Tiger Fan Shop HERE!
