Deshaun Watson visited with the media earlier today, and TI correspondent Gavin Oliver had this collection of notables from that gathering:
-- Said the playbook was kept simple Saturday, the offense just came out and played ball and everything was going their way
-- Said Clemson tried to be better than the last road game and the last week: "That's what great teams do. They keep getting better each and every week, and that's what we did. We got better, overall.
"Of course, you have a lot of Florida guys that knew people on the team, so they were kind of pumped up, but we just go out there and try to be better each and every week, and that's what we did."
-- Said selflessness, "determination and want-to" have factored into Clemson's offensive success over the past three games when the Tigers amassed 135 points and 1,636 yards. "We have a whole bunch of guys that have bought into the plan of what Coach Elliott and Coach Scott have wanted to do with this offense. We go out there, excited, and we prepare all week and just go out there and execute the plan."
-- Said Clemson has known about its offensive depth since fall camp, and it was good to see a lot of players get opportunities to showcase their abilities on Saturday and build trust with the coaching staff on both sides of the ball, especially on defense and in the secondary
-- On Kelly Bryant: "It's been great to watch him learn the offense and just really be able to get in there and perform when he can. He knows that his opportunity may be small, but you never know when that time may come -- you never know when his number is called -- so he's always been preparing, he works hard and he's like a little brother to me. So, me and Nick Schuessler make sure that he's doing the right things and lead him on the right path. When he got in, he took advantage of his opportunity."
-- On Clemson moving up to No. 3 in the AP Poll: "Really, it's just a number to me. None of that stuff really matters until December whenever they have to decide who's in that Top 4. I guess it's good, too, to be up there and to be noticed and represent Clemson well and put us on that platform that we're one of the top teams in the country."
-- Said he's not surprised at the focus Clemson has maintained throughout its accomplishments so far. Said Swinney told the team in fall camp that the smaller goals have to be attained before the big goal.
-- On N.C. State's defense, which is ranked third in the country in total defense, third in passing defense and 11th in rushing defense: "Just well coached. They know their plan, they know what they want to do on defense, and they go out there and play ball. From what I see, they have a bunch of guys out there that want to play and do their job."
-- Said he didn't watch Clemson's loss to N.C. State in 2011, that is the past and the team is zeroed in on the present and the moment at hand.
-- His thoughts on Florida State's loss to Georgia Tech. "The game is never over until the clock hits zero, so it was one of those crazy wins that Georgia Tech had, and that's the beauty of college football -- you never know what's going to happen."
-- Said the playbook was kept simple Saturday, the offense just came out and played ball and everything was going their way
-- Said Clemson tried to be better than the last road game and the last week: "That's what great teams do. They keep getting better each and every week, and that's what we did. We got better, overall.
"Of course, you have a lot of Florida guys that knew people on the team, so they were kind of pumped up, but we just go out there and try to be better each and every week, and that's what we did."
-- Said selflessness, "determination and want-to" have factored into Clemson's offensive success over the past three games when the Tigers amassed 135 points and 1,636 yards. "We have a whole bunch of guys that have bought into the plan of what Coach Elliott and Coach Scott have wanted to do with this offense. We go out there, excited, and we prepare all week and just go out there and execute the plan."
-- Said Clemson has known about its offensive depth since fall camp, and it was good to see a lot of players get opportunities to showcase their abilities on Saturday and build trust with the coaching staff on both sides of the ball, especially on defense and in the secondary
-- On Kelly Bryant: "It's been great to watch him learn the offense and just really be able to get in there and perform when he can. He knows that his opportunity may be small, but you never know when that time may come -- you never know when his number is called -- so he's always been preparing, he works hard and he's like a little brother to me. So, me and Nick Schuessler make sure that he's doing the right things and lead him on the right path. When he got in, he took advantage of his opportunity."
-- On Clemson moving up to No. 3 in the AP Poll: "Really, it's just a number to me. None of that stuff really matters until December whenever they have to decide who's in that Top 4. I guess it's good, too, to be up there and to be noticed and represent Clemson well and put us on that platform that we're one of the top teams in the country."
-- Said he's not surprised at the focus Clemson has maintained throughout its accomplishments so far. Said Swinney told the team in fall camp that the smaller goals have to be attained before the big goal.
-- On N.C. State's defense, which is ranked third in the country in total defense, third in passing defense and 11th in rushing defense: "Just well coached. They know their plan, they know what they want to do on defense, and they go out there and play ball. From what I see, they have a bunch of guys out there that want to play and do their job."
-- Said he didn't watch Clemson's loss to N.C. State in 2011, that is the past and the team is zeroed in on the present and the moment at hand.
-- His thoughts on Florida State's loss to Georgia Tech. "The game is never over until the clock hits zero, so it was one of those crazy wins that Georgia Tech had, and that's the beauty of college football -- you never know what's going to happen."
