Dabo Swinney is excited about where his team is headed following two straight beatdowns of Appalachian State and N.C. State.
This week, Clemson remains at home and will play under the lights of Death Valley against Stanford, a program the Tigers have not faced since 1986. It is also homecoming at Clemson, and with the Tigers riding high on a wave of momentum, Swinney sees an opportunity to keep the train rolling.
“Got another opportunity here at home this week and we’re excited about that,” said Swinney. “Homecoming is always a big deal here on campus and a lot of fun. To see all the festivities that go into it with our students, and I know there will be a lot of people coming back to campus, night game, so again, we don’t get many of these days so every opportunity we get in The Valley is special.”
Dabo Swinney
With a huge crowd expected on Saturday, and with the excitement of homecoming, Dabo Swinney wants his team to treat the orange-clad faithful to another standout performance. Clemson has scored 66 and 59 points in each of their last two games, and the Tigers have vaulted to the number one offense in the country per efficiency despite the opening loss to Georgia.
Things are clicking for the Tigers, and Saturday night is another chance to showcase that resurgence. At the heart of the turnaround is the play of junior quarterback Cade Klubnik, who has taken his lumps on and off the field, but who is blossoming into the star the coaching staff hoped he would. Dabo explained he saw things behind the scenes that nobody else was privy to and his confidence in Cade was never shaken.
“We saw progress (in the offense) even though sometimes, maybe, other people…it’s not always what you see,” opined Swinney. “Progress isn’t always what you see. Sometimes you’ve got a young quarterback that’s getting in his first year, and there’s always growing pains. Not everybody is going to walk in day one and be this amazing quarterback at this level.”
Dabo Swinney
In the last two games, Klubnik has 587 yards and passed for eight touchdowns and rushed for several more. He has been decisive and confident, and the Clemson offense has reaped the rewards. Saturday night is another opportunity for Cade to continue his dominant play.
“(Cade) is the same guy every day,” said Swinney. “That is a quality you want to see in your quarterback. You want to block out all of the noise whether it’s bad or it’s good. It’s fun to win, but can you go win again. That’s what you’ve got to love. And I think he’s got a good understanding. It’s good for him, what he went through last year and what he had to battle through because the kid really hadn’t had a lot of football adversity.”
Dabo Swinney
Now, the sun is shining on Klubnik and the Clemson offense. The wide receiving core, especially, has been vastly improved and is far deeper and mostly healthy now with the impending return of Tyler Brown. The wideouts have helped amplify the explosiveness of the Tigers’ offense.
Still, Swinney knows that The Cardinal will not be without their challenges. An unfamiliar opponent who the Tigers have not played in 38 years, Stanford will give Clemson a tough test. Dabo Swinney is no stranger to thorough preparation, and he is approaching this game with the same mindset as he does all others; never underestimating an opponent.
“It’s still football,” he explained. “It doesn’t matter who you play. (Stanford) is 3-1. They’ve played four games. We’ve got some tape we can study on who they are this year. You prepare for what they do but it comes back to you and how you prepare and go and execute, adjust, and win your matchups.”
And the Stanford defense is something else that stands out to Swinney.
“They mix it up. They do a lot on defense,” said Swinney of The Cardinal. “The key for us early on is really, like I said, is ID’ing them up front and ID’ing how they are going to play us on the back end. Nobody wants to line up and let people run the ball on you, so, they’re going to do what they have to do to try and stop the run.”
Dabo Swinney
Two Tigers have dealt with nagging injuries the past two weeks as well. Wide receiver Tyler Brown and defensive end Peter Woods were both injured against App. State and missed last week’s game with the Wolfpack. After two weeks of recovery, both players are almost ready to return according to Swinney.
“They’re doing well,” he said. “They’re still day to day but they’re doing well and getting better every day.”
Saturday night’s game presents a unique opportunity for Dabo Swinney himself. Should Clemson win, it would be the 100th home victory in the career of the Tigers’ longtime coach. It would be a cool moment, and one he was not aware was on the horizon until Tuesday afternoon. For Dabo, it is another milestone that he credits to those who have worked with and played for him over the years.
“That’s pretty awesome,” Swinney admitted. “I thought last week was really cool to be a part of 800 (all-time program wins) and I didn’t know this either. I was here for 600, 700, and 800 because I was the receivers coach when we won 600. One hundred home wins, that’s great. It just means I’ve been able to be here a long time and we’ve been able to win at home, a lot of games. It’s a blessing. A lot of great players, a lot of great coaches, and unbelievable fan support all helped make that happen.”
Dabo Swinney
Kick-off for Saturday’s game is slated for 7 p.m. on ESPN.
