Dabo Swinney took to the podium for his weekly Tuesday press conference and covered a variety of topics as the Clemson Tigers get set to battle high-octane Louisville under the lights of Death Valley on Saturday night.
It will be the first time Clemson and Louisville have played a night game in Death Valley since the iconic 2016 game between the Tigers and Cardinals and quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson. The instant classic that night resulted in a 42-36 Clemson win. Dabo Swinney knows his team will have to play sound football for history to repeat itself.
Louisville vs. Clemson Extended Football Highlights (2016)
Swinney explained that the Tigers will face a stern challenge in a Louisville team that can score prolifically. The Cardinals’ offense, led by quarterback Tyler Shough who has passed for 2,348 yards on the season, has been among the best in the country. Swinney said that slowing down Shough, elite receiver Ja’Corey Brooks, and running back Isaac Brown will be a challenge.
“Passing game wise, they are very well coordinated through the play action game,” said Swinney. “It’s a lot of stress on you with, again, what they do in the running game, they really want to run the ball to set the passing game up. When they’ve had some really critical situations late in games, they’ve gone to the run game. They’re more play action oriented.”
Dabo Swinney
Defensively, Swinney added that it is imperative for Clemson to contain the edge to take away big play opportunities from Louisville.
“They will run the stretch,” explained Swinney. “They’re an inside zone team, too. That is an area we have not been great at consistently enough, setting the edge like we need to. That’s an area we have to improve on this month, for sure. They’ll take advantage of that.”
Dabo Swinney
After a bye week, many questions abound about the health of several Clemson receivers, namely Tyler Brown and freshman sensation Bryant Wesco. It was hoped that Wesco would be ready for Saturday night’s game, though Swinney remained non-committal on Wesco’s status.
“I thought he got off to a good start last week,” he said of Wesco’s recovery. “Big day today and tomorrow. Two really strenuous, physical days getting these guys ready to go play again on Saturday night so hopefully he’ll have a good week and be ready to go but he’s definitely made a lot of progress.”
Dabo Swinney
Wesco, according to Swinney, is still “day to day.”
Another injured wideout, Tyler Brown, has been sidelined over a month now with no signs of an imminent return. Swinney previously said Brown’s recovery had hit a wall and he was asked on Tuesday if there have been any thoughts of redshirting Brown to preserve another year of eligibility down the road.
“We could (redshirt Brown),” he said. “That’s a possibility. With where he is and the amount of games he’s played. We’ve got five games left so if he misses a couple more then that’s a decision. But those are real time things. You’re trying to win the game you’re playing. And you don’t ever know what you’re situation will look like in two weeks. It is certainly something we can look at but it’s a real time decision based on your personnel.”
Dabo Swinney
Swinney also discussed the continued development of Cade Klubnik. The Tigers’ junior quarterback is now projected as a top-5 Heisman Trophy finalist by multiple pundits and publications as he has rose to prominence in his second full-time season as the Clemson starter.
“Taking care of the ball and decision making,” said Swinney on the keys to Cade’s rise. “It’s really that simple. “Last year, just too many negative plays and that’s just decision making. He took too many sacks. We had too many turnovers, fumbles in particular. He’s just been a much better decision maker and he’s cut down on all of the avoidable, negative plays and taking care of the ball so much better. The game has slowed down for him.”
Dabo Swinney
Saturday’s game will be the third time Clemson has played a night game at Death Valley this season. It is a pivotal game in terms of keeping the Tigers in line to play in the ACC Championship game in December. Clemson is one of four remaining undefeated teams in the ACC, along with Miami, Pitt, and SMU though the latter two play one another this week.
Kick-off on Saturday night is slated for 7:30 p.m.
