Dabo Swinney is no stranger to big games with postseason implications. With Clemson football ranked 12th in the final regular season play-off rankings, a win against South Carolina on Saturday could potentially punch the Tigers’ ticket to the playoffs regardless of whether they play in the ACC championship.
Playing big games, this time of the season, is what Dabo Swinney lives for. He even believes this year’s incarnation of the Palmetto Bowl carries more weight than one of the greatest rivalries in all of college football.
“The Alabama-Auburn game, my background, always had a little bit more of national implications than this game has had, from a national standpoint,” said Swinney during his Tuesday press conference. “But that’s different this year. This is the game that’s got a lot of national implications. You know, that one down there’s just going to be bragging rights.”
Dabo Swinney
Dabo Swinney feels like the Palmetto Bowl between Clemson and South Carolina carries a comparable degree of distaste between the fan bases as the Iron Bowl, and having been at Clemson since 2003, Swinney also knows it has been quite some time since the annual tilt between the Tigers and Gamecocks has had so much riding on it. South Carolina, ranked just behind Clemson, also has their sights on a potential at-large play-off birth with a win.
This time, it is worth more than just in-state bragging rights.
“This one’s got a lot of national noise to it,” Dabo Swinney said. “So it should be an awesome environment and two really good teams that have had really good years that all want to win. And we’ve got to find a way to get it done.”
Dabo Swinney
To that end, Clemson, who has been banged up on the injury front, hopes to get multiple key players back for Saturday. That kind of health boom would certainly boost the Tigers’ chances. Coach Swinney is optimistic that will be the case. Two key starters hopeful to return are offensive linemen Tristan Leigh and Marcus Tate.
“Tristan and Marcus are trending in a good spot,” explained Swinney. “But, you know, as we sit right here today, I feel pretty good about them but Tuesday and Wednesday’s practice, you’ve got to go practice. And especially those guys because they’ve been out a couple of games. We’ve got to go compete today so hopefully we can get through these next couple of practices and be ready to go. But they’ve got to go do it.”
Dabo Swinney
As for linebacker Wade Woodaz, who has missed the past two games, Swinney said his progress is similar to Leigh’s and Tate’s.
“Same thing,” he said. “He’s just gotten better and better. It was really really bad, and it took a long time to loosen up where he could even walk. He was able to practice yesterday, and he should get better each day as he’s able to run around. Still not 100 percent but he was able to practice.”
Dabo Swinney
Clemson needs as many hands on deck as possible on Saturday, and Dabo Swinney knows that. He also spoke at length about the challenges South Carolina brings. The Gamecocks feature one of the best defensive lines in the country and Swinney figures they will send pressure to try and disrupt the passing prowess of quarterback Cade Klubnik.
“They bring a lot of pressure,” said Swinney. “They get it with those four guys. They create a lot of problems for everybody. The clock’s ticking quick when that ball is snapped. To not have to bring a lot of pressure to create pressure it’s really helped them on the back end.”
Dabo Swinney
Defensively, Clemson has struggled at times to stop the run, particularly against Louisville and The Citadel. In others, the Tigers have played the run extremely well during the Virginia Tech and Pitt games. Dabo Swinney expects another challenge in the run game this week with the athletic abilities of South Carolina running back and quarterback LaNorris Sellers.
“Real dangerous,” said Swinney of Sellers. “He can really make a lot of plays. Their scheme is going to accentuate his skills. When he does drop back, if you don’t cage him up, when he gets on an edge, you better cover those guys up because he creates a lot of big plays. He seems like a great player and a great leader. He’s a real problem (for defenses).”
Dabo Swinney
He added, “(Sellers) is a big kid and he’s hard to tackle. He puts a lot of pressure on you and that’s why they have had a lot of success.”
With only a handful of days remaining until their biggest game of the 2024 season, Dabo Swinney’s message to his team, he said, is simple.
“You got to do the things it takes to win,” he said. You focus on what you have to do to get those outcomes. You have to do what winning requires and that’s what I always tell these guys. To win games like this you have to win the turnover margin. That’s what championship football comes down to. And you have to win the line of scrimmage. You talk about what you have to do to win. They know (what the game means). Be on the same page, communication, and play with the type of intensity and aggression that is requires. That’s what it comes down to.”
Dabo Swinney
Clemson Tigers vs. South Carolina Gamecocks | Full Game Highlights
Clemson and South Carolina will kick-off at 12 noon on Saturday with the game being televised on ESPN. Clemson won last year’s Palmetto Bowl in a low-scoring contest, 16-7.
