TI correspondent Gavin Oliver joined me today at the West End Zone for interviews. Here's a compilation of notables he put together:
Deshaun Watson
-- Said he hadn't seen his grade against Notre Dame yet, but Brandon Streeter went over the game plan with him this morning and told him he did his job, "played lights-out and did what a quarterback is supposed to do -- manage the game and get a W."
-- On his 38-yard run to begin the game: "It felt good. It was something that we game-planned throughout the week, and that was the first play they wanted to do. I had options, and they gave us a four-man box with the Mike walked out, so I decided to run the draw, and it opened up for a big gain."
-- Said Charone Peake came over to him after his interception and took fault for it
-- On what he was thinking during the goal-line stand: "Just really get a stop, and that's what the defense did. That's the mentality on the defense, to not let them in the end zone, and the defense came up again in the clutch, so I was just excited for those guys, the whole team and just our fans for being out in the rain all day and coming and supporting us and creating one of the best atmospheres in the country. Watching us get that win was pretty special."
-- Thought Saturday's atmosphere was the best he's played amidst yet: "The fans did a great job. We really appreciate all the support and creating an exciting atmosphere."
-- On whether the loss to Georgia Tech last year would help prevent a drop in performance this time around following a big win: "I would say it kind of helps us from what they did last year, just a little payback, but Coach Swinney does a great job not letting us get complacent and satisfied with that one big win. We have a goal and a dream set in front of us that we want to accomplish, and so we're just going to take it one game at a time."
-- Said there's no extra motivation to face Georgia Tech just because he couldn't finish last year's contest against the Yellow Jackets due to injury. "Same mentality. It's a big game because it's the next game, and it's my home state, so I always want to get the victory over that. It's the same mentality, same focus like we did last week and try to get a win this week."
-- Said Georgia Tech creates turnovers by pressuring offenses and trying to confuse quarterbacks. "They have great guys in the back, and that defense is very athletic, so they do a great job with that."
-- Said Georgia Tech's secondary is ball-hawking, very athletic and disciplined. "They find the ball and create turnovers, so we have to do our part, do our job and get down to the details, try to execute and find the holes in the secondary."
Jay Guillermo
-- Said there was one play recorded as a pass that was actually a running play, so the offensive line accomplished its goals of 200 yards rushing and helping Wayne Gallman reach 100 yards on the ground
-- Said there were no bad snaps, and he prepared for the elements with wet-ball drills last week.
-- Said Sheldon Day was a handful, his motor keeps churning and he plays through the whistle like coaches preach to players, but felt like the line kept him in check. "I feel like, especially after watching film, that we handled him well, better than a lot of people thought that we would."
-- Said it isn't hard to turn the page to Georgia Tech after an emotional win because of the mentality instilled by Swinney. Said GT, a team outside Clemson's division the Tigers play every year, is a rivalry game. "We do a very good job here, especially with our leadership, staying focused and just taking it one game at a time and not really having that 'hangover' that you hear a lot."
-- Said Georgia Tech has strong interior defensive linemen, including senior Adam Gotsis
-- On not being surprised by the product of Clemson's defense thus far: "That wasn't a surprise at all. We have a really talented group of guys, and going against them every day reassured us of that."
-- Asked if there was any jawing along the line of scrimmage Saturday, said not really, but mentioned Shaq Lawson as a guy who likes to talk, and talk loud, during competition. Said he's a great player who has fun out there, and his chatter is an indication he knows he's good and is confident in his abilities
Jayron Kearse
-- On whether Saturday's game was as chippy as he expected: "From our sideline, it was. I don't know about theirs. It wasn't too chippy from them. I don't know if the scoreboard got to them, or if they were just scared, but there wasn't too much coming from those players."
-- Said he wouldn't have said anything about Notre Dame last Monday had the trash-talk from Will Fuller not taken place first: "I just feel like their talking, that's a sign of disrespect to me, and I don't like to be disrespected, so I felt like I had to say what I had to say and went out there and did what I had to do."
-- On his forced fumble: "I was backside. I was just giving it my all on that play, went in to make the tackle, seeing he had the ball a little loose and tried to go in and get the ball out, and ultimately it worked out for us."
-- Said after the Wofford game in which the defense didn't force a turnover, Swinney and Venables challenged the defense to improve in that aspect. "We have been doing that since App State. We've been going out there causing many turnovers, and we have to keep that going on in order to help our offense."
-- Ranked the crowd for the Notre Dame game with that of the Georgia game in 2013, another top-10 matchup. "The crowd was ridiculous that night, and they also were ridiculous last Saturday. I can't say enough about our fans. They did their job, we did our job. I love what they did."
-- Said Clemson would watch Georgia Tech's game against Notre Dame to see what the Irish did well and incorporate those things into their own game plan
-- Said last year's loss to Georgia Tech hasn't affected the mindset going into this year's matchup: "Coming into this week, we're just preparing like it's a new season. They beat us last year. That's just what it was. Coming in this week with a game plan that's going to put us in a position to beat Georgia Tech this Saturday, and that's all it is."
-- Said the Wofford game "definitely helps" preparation for Georgia Tech, especially for the younger players who now know what to expect of the triple-option. Said it's always difficult to defend because it requires playing assignments, keeping eyes on keys and being disciplined on the front and back ends. "You can think somebody has the ball, and the quarterback will be turning up the field and be running for 40 yards."
-- Said he watched Georgia Tech this morning and couldn't pinpoint a reason for its slow start, saying the Yellow Jackets are a good team with good athletes and a good coach in Paul Johnson. Thinks Georgia Tech could have the same backs-against-the-wall mentality as Louisville, saying, "We know that they're a good football team. We know what they're capable of. We know if we don't go out there and do our jobs, we know the end result can be bad for us, so we're going to go out there and attack it like they're undefeated."
-- On Justin Thomas: "Last year, he was great. He managed the game well, he did everything he had to do being the quarterback of the option. We just have to focus on him because we know the things he's capable of... He can do some great things. He's not only a runner. He can drop back, sprint out, make some big-time throws and get it to his receivers, and those guys can make some plays."
-- Said he didn't put any stock into the preseason prediction of a defensive drop-off. "I go out there and practice with those guys every day. We're in the weight room every day, and I know the type of work we put in in order to go out there and continue be good. We lost a lot of great guys, but we have some guys backing them up that can play ball."
Deshaun Watson
-- Said he hadn't seen his grade against Notre Dame yet, but Brandon Streeter went over the game plan with him this morning and told him he did his job, "played lights-out and did what a quarterback is supposed to do -- manage the game and get a W."
-- On his 38-yard run to begin the game: "It felt good. It was something that we game-planned throughout the week, and that was the first play they wanted to do. I had options, and they gave us a four-man box with the Mike walked out, so I decided to run the draw, and it opened up for a big gain."
-- Said Charone Peake came over to him after his interception and took fault for it
-- On what he was thinking during the goal-line stand: "Just really get a stop, and that's what the defense did. That's the mentality on the defense, to not let them in the end zone, and the defense came up again in the clutch, so I was just excited for those guys, the whole team and just our fans for being out in the rain all day and coming and supporting us and creating one of the best atmospheres in the country. Watching us get that win was pretty special."
-- Thought Saturday's atmosphere was the best he's played amidst yet: "The fans did a great job. We really appreciate all the support and creating an exciting atmosphere."
-- On whether the loss to Georgia Tech last year would help prevent a drop in performance this time around following a big win: "I would say it kind of helps us from what they did last year, just a little payback, but Coach Swinney does a great job not letting us get complacent and satisfied with that one big win. We have a goal and a dream set in front of us that we want to accomplish, and so we're just going to take it one game at a time."
-- Said there's no extra motivation to face Georgia Tech just because he couldn't finish last year's contest against the Yellow Jackets due to injury. "Same mentality. It's a big game because it's the next game, and it's my home state, so I always want to get the victory over that. It's the same mentality, same focus like we did last week and try to get a win this week."
-- Said Georgia Tech creates turnovers by pressuring offenses and trying to confuse quarterbacks. "They have great guys in the back, and that defense is very athletic, so they do a great job with that."
-- Said Georgia Tech's secondary is ball-hawking, very athletic and disciplined. "They find the ball and create turnovers, so we have to do our part, do our job and get down to the details, try to execute and find the holes in the secondary."
Jay Guillermo
-- Said there was one play recorded as a pass that was actually a running play, so the offensive line accomplished its goals of 200 yards rushing and helping Wayne Gallman reach 100 yards on the ground
-- Said there were no bad snaps, and he prepared for the elements with wet-ball drills last week.
-- Said Sheldon Day was a handful, his motor keeps churning and he plays through the whistle like coaches preach to players, but felt like the line kept him in check. "I feel like, especially after watching film, that we handled him well, better than a lot of people thought that we would."
-- Said it isn't hard to turn the page to Georgia Tech after an emotional win because of the mentality instilled by Swinney. Said GT, a team outside Clemson's division the Tigers play every year, is a rivalry game. "We do a very good job here, especially with our leadership, staying focused and just taking it one game at a time and not really having that 'hangover' that you hear a lot."
-- Said Georgia Tech has strong interior defensive linemen, including senior Adam Gotsis
-- On not being surprised by the product of Clemson's defense thus far: "That wasn't a surprise at all. We have a really talented group of guys, and going against them every day reassured us of that."
-- Asked if there was any jawing along the line of scrimmage Saturday, said not really, but mentioned Shaq Lawson as a guy who likes to talk, and talk loud, during competition. Said he's a great player who has fun out there, and his chatter is an indication he knows he's good and is confident in his abilities
Jayron Kearse
-- On whether Saturday's game was as chippy as he expected: "From our sideline, it was. I don't know about theirs. It wasn't too chippy from them. I don't know if the scoreboard got to them, or if they were just scared, but there wasn't too much coming from those players."
-- Said he wouldn't have said anything about Notre Dame last Monday had the trash-talk from Will Fuller not taken place first: "I just feel like their talking, that's a sign of disrespect to me, and I don't like to be disrespected, so I felt like I had to say what I had to say and went out there and did what I had to do."
-- On his forced fumble: "I was backside. I was just giving it my all on that play, went in to make the tackle, seeing he had the ball a little loose and tried to go in and get the ball out, and ultimately it worked out for us."
-- Said after the Wofford game in which the defense didn't force a turnover, Swinney and Venables challenged the defense to improve in that aspect. "We have been doing that since App State. We've been going out there causing many turnovers, and we have to keep that going on in order to help our offense."
-- Ranked the crowd for the Notre Dame game with that of the Georgia game in 2013, another top-10 matchup. "The crowd was ridiculous that night, and they also were ridiculous last Saturday. I can't say enough about our fans. They did their job, we did our job. I love what they did."
-- Said Clemson would watch Georgia Tech's game against Notre Dame to see what the Irish did well and incorporate those things into their own game plan
-- Said last year's loss to Georgia Tech hasn't affected the mindset going into this year's matchup: "Coming into this week, we're just preparing like it's a new season. They beat us last year. That's just what it was. Coming in this week with a game plan that's going to put us in a position to beat Georgia Tech this Saturday, and that's all it is."
-- Said the Wofford game "definitely helps" preparation for Georgia Tech, especially for the younger players who now know what to expect of the triple-option. Said it's always difficult to defend because it requires playing assignments, keeping eyes on keys and being disciplined on the front and back ends. "You can think somebody has the ball, and the quarterback will be turning up the field and be running for 40 yards."
-- Said he watched Georgia Tech this morning and couldn't pinpoint a reason for its slow start, saying the Yellow Jackets are a good team with good athletes and a good coach in Paul Johnson. Thinks Georgia Tech could have the same backs-against-the-wall mentality as Louisville, saying, "We know that they're a good football team. We know what they're capable of. We know if we don't go out there and do our jobs, we know the end result can be bad for us, so we're going to go out there and attack it like they're undefeated."
-- On Justin Thomas: "Last year, he was great. He managed the game well, he did everything he had to do being the quarterback of the option. We just have to focus on him because we know the things he's capable of... He can do some great things. He's not only a runner. He can drop back, sprint out, make some big-time throws and get it to his receivers, and those guys can make some plays."
-- Said he didn't put any stock into the preseason prediction of a defensive drop-off. "I go out there and practice with those guys every day. We're in the weight room every day, and I know the type of work we put in in order to go out there and continue be good. We lost a lot of great guys, but we have some guys backing them up that can play ball."
