Miami will face off against the Clemson Tigers this upcoming Saturday at Memorial Stadium. The Tigers are riding high on a three-game winning streak after losing to the LSU Tigers in Week 1. Here on CanesInSight we've been getting fans ready, providing numerous articles on the website about the upcoming matchup.
Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney spoke with the media ahead of the matchup against the Hurricanes. Here are some key quotes he has to say about the Hurricanes.
Opening statements: Good to see everybody. Obviously a huge, huge week for us and a great opportunity as well. They’re all big. Don’t think it’s big, just lose it and you’ll find out. This one will get a lot of hype and talk. It’s a night game in the Valley. It’s Clemson and Miami and they were in the national championship game last year. We’re both undefeated in the league. This Miami team doesn’t have any weakness. They’re talented across the board. Their quarterback is at almost 90-percent completion. It’s hard to do that on air. It’s pretty amazing when you look at what they’ve done offensively. It’s like looking at a video game. It’s unreal. They’re very balanced. They have multiple Heisman candidates on the same side of the ball. It’s a well put-together team. They’re physical up front. They want to run the ball. They just equip their quarterback through the run game. They have a million RPOs. Their quarterback could be the first pick in the draft. He is an elite player. He’s smart, unbelievably accurate. He’s very poised. He doesn’t get rattled. He knows where everyone on the field is. He has great recognition of what you’re trying to do on defense. He’s elite. All of these receivers they’re elite. Their tight end is a very good player. This Malachi Toney is a dude of dudes. I have a lot of respect just watching him. It’s the first time I’ve really studied him. He is impressive. He can do it all. You just know he’s going to get his touches. Flip over to the other side and it doesn’t get much better. They’re No. 1 in rush defense and No. 2 in total defense. They’re really good. Sounds like they’re going to get a couple of guys back. They’re a pressure defense. You have to really communicate well. They are all NFL guys up front. Tough matchup. We’re excited about the opportunity. We have to have a great week of practice. We look forward to a great night in the valley. I know everyone will show up early. Let’s see if we can have a great night. Not often you get a top five team coming in. They may be the best team in the country.
On how he is game planning for Miami: We've got to do what we do well. This is a game where you don't have a big margin for error. So, we've got to do the things that winning requires. It's just focus on our plan to win. We've got to play with elite effort. We've got to play with great toughness and physicality. That's the only chance you have to compete and win games like this. We've got a good football team too, but every play is the biggest play of the game. And, it starts with not beating yourself up. And, our opener, we're 24 to 3 or whatever, and we've had 13 snaps. Pick six, MA on third and two, and those are things that can cost you big time in a game like this. So we've got to take care of us. We just got to give ourselves a chance by doing the little things well, just doing the routine stuff well. You can't have a basic play, an MA on a basic play in a critical situation. We've got to win the turnover margin. If you don't win the turnover margin in a game like this, you ain't winning. It's all about the ball. You just not winning. So we have to be elite in taking care of the ball, and we've got to find a way to turn them over. It's just that simple. So that's what wins games like this. We've got to find a way to make some big plays on them. They're going to make some plays, and then you've got to hang in there, and you've got to give yourself a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter. This is a four-quarter game. This is going to be down to the last play type of a ball game, and you want to give yourself a chance. And so you've got to be able to settle into a game like this, and your dudes have to be dudes. Like, we've got good players too, and so we've got to win matchups, and you've got to win the turnover margin. Got to find a way to hold serve, make a difference in the special teams area somewhere in there. That's what it takes to win games like this. We've been in a bunch of these type of games. There's been a bunch of teams where we might not have been the better team on paper, but if you go back and you look at the things I'm talking about: field position, turnover margin, you know, some big plays, you know, penalties, things like that. Those things make big differences in games like this where you don't have a big margin.
On what he’s seen from Darian Mensah since their matchup last season: Very accurate, places the ball really well. If you make a mistake, he's gonna make you pay. We had two massive busts for touchdowns last year. One, we're bringing a corner cat, and he sees it and he fakes away to let the cat come. The problem is we brought a safety blitz too. That's no bueno, all right? That ain't no good there, okay? And, eight yards later, you can't blitz your safety and your corner at the same time. And so he knew it was coming. He saw it, and instead of being a critical tackle, because we busted. So if you bust, he's gonna make you pay. So you better have 11 guys all on the same page doing their job. Obviously right before the half he scored in like 20 seconds. Really poor job of us defensively as coaches in that situation. But, so he made us pay on some plays. We hung in there, battled, and then I think they went 90 yards, that last drive, and he made every critical play. So we just didn't affect him. We just didn't affect him enough. He's a good football player. Really good player. He's special.
On Clemson’s growth and improvement heading into the Miami matchup: Just what I've seen in practice and the improvement that we've made. We've gotten better. We've sorted the quarterback situation. Very unsettled going into that game, and now we've got kind of that settled, and we've got a kid that's gaining experience. And he's not perfect. He's got to get better. Certainly got to get off to better starts. But we've improved in a lot of areas. This is a different animal right here now, right? This is a big challenge. They're gonna make some plays. But I just think we've kind of grown in our identity a little bit and figured some things out. That's got to go play games to get to that point. I like what I've seen. I like how we're running the ball. I like, that's been a big part of winning games for us. You got to be able to run the ball efficiently to win games. You got to be able to throw it to win championships. That's part of it too. So we got to certainly get better there. I think that's easier than the run game. And so I am encouraged by what we've been able to do, especially running the ball when people know we're gonna run the ball. We've been able to finish the game in fourth quarters and impose our will. And I think that's a really good sign. So we've improved. That's the biggest thing. We're a little bit more experienced, but, the margin for error is still very, very small in games like this.
On his relationship with Mario Cristobal: First time I met him, he was the head coach at FIU and came up here for a spring practice. I knew him a little bit when he was at Alabama. I didn’t get to know him much until he was in our league. He’s done an unbelievable job. We played against each other, too. We played against him in the national championship in 1992. He was on their team in 1992 when we played them in Louisiana. He’s done an amazing job. It’s really come together for them. They’ve recruited very well. He has a great staff. All of those guys have done a great job. A coach is only as good as his staff. I have a lot of respect for him.
On his reaction to the prime-time slot game on ESPN: Our fans show up no matter what. That’s one thing I’ll say. It’s been a weird year. We’re kicking off at 7:30 and it’s one of the earliest kickoffs we’ve had all year. We’ve had two 9:30 kickoffs and a 10:30 kickoff. Even the noon kickoff was the longest game in Clemson history. It’s just insane. My first reaction was awesome. Our fans deserve that. We haven’t had a chance to put it all together.
Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney spoke with the media ahead of the matchup against the Hurricanes. Here are some key quotes he has to say about the Hurricanes.
Opening statements: Good to see everybody. Obviously a huge, huge week for us and a great opportunity as well. They’re all big. Don’t think it’s big, just lose it and you’ll find out. This one will get a lot of hype and talk. It’s a night game in the Valley. It’s Clemson and Miami and they were in the national championship game last year. We’re both undefeated in the league. This Miami team doesn’t have any weakness. They’re talented across the board. Their quarterback is at almost 90-percent completion. It’s hard to do that on air. It’s pretty amazing when you look at what they’ve done offensively. It’s like looking at a video game. It’s unreal. They’re very balanced. They have multiple Heisman candidates on the same side of the ball. It’s a well put-together team. They’re physical up front. They want to run the ball. They just equip their quarterback through the run game. They have a million RPOs. Their quarterback could be the first pick in the draft. He is an elite player. He’s smart, unbelievably accurate. He’s very poised. He doesn’t get rattled. He knows where everyone on the field is. He has great recognition of what you’re trying to do on defense. He’s elite. All of these receivers they’re elite. Their tight end is a very good player. This Malachi Toney is a dude of dudes. I have a lot of respect just watching him. It’s the first time I’ve really studied him. He is impressive. He can do it all. You just know he’s going to get his touches. Flip over to the other side and it doesn’t get much better. They’re No. 1 in rush defense and No. 2 in total defense. They’re really good. Sounds like they’re going to get a couple of guys back. They’re a pressure defense. You have to really communicate well. They are all NFL guys up front. Tough matchup. We’re excited about the opportunity. We have to have a great week of practice. We look forward to a great night in the valley. I know everyone will show up early. Let’s see if we can have a great night. Not often you get a top five team coming in. They may be the best team in the country.
On how he is game planning for Miami: We've got to do what we do well. This is a game where you don't have a big margin for error. So, we've got to do the things that winning requires. It's just focus on our plan to win. We've got to play with elite effort. We've got to play with great toughness and physicality. That's the only chance you have to compete and win games like this. We've got a good football team too, but every play is the biggest play of the game. And, it starts with not beating yourself up. And, our opener, we're 24 to 3 or whatever, and we've had 13 snaps. Pick six, MA on third and two, and those are things that can cost you big time in a game like this. So we've got to take care of us. We just got to give ourselves a chance by doing the little things well, just doing the routine stuff well. You can't have a basic play, an MA on a basic play in a critical situation. We've got to win the turnover margin. If you don't win the turnover margin in a game like this, you ain't winning. It's all about the ball. You just not winning. So we have to be elite in taking care of the ball, and we've got to find a way to turn them over. It's just that simple. So that's what wins games like this. We've got to find a way to make some big plays on them. They're going to make some plays, and then you've got to hang in there, and you've got to give yourself a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter. This is a four-quarter game. This is going to be down to the last play type of a ball game, and you want to give yourself a chance. And so you've got to be able to settle into a game like this, and your dudes have to be dudes. Like, we've got good players too, and so we've got to win matchups, and you've got to win the turnover margin. Got to find a way to hold serve, make a difference in the special teams area somewhere in there. That's what it takes to win games like this. We've been in a bunch of these type of games. There's been a bunch of teams where we might not have been the better team on paper, but if you go back and you look at the things I'm talking about: field position, turnover margin, you know, some big plays, you know, penalties, things like that. Those things make big differences in games like this where you don't have a big margin.
On what he’s seen from Darian Mensah since their matchup last season: Very accurate, places the ball really well. If you make a mistake, he's gonna make you pay. We had two massive busts for touchdowns last year. One, we're bringing a corner cat, and he sees it and he fakes away to let the cat come. The problem is we brought a safety blitz too. That's no bueno, all right? That ain't no good there, okay? And, eight yards later, you can't blitz your safety and your corner at the same time. And so he knew it was coming. He saw it, and instead of being a critical tackle, because we busted. So if you bust, he's gonna make you pay. So you better have 11 guys all on the same page doing their job. Obviously right before the half he scored in like 20 seconds. Really poor job of us defensively as coaches in that situation. But, so he made us pay on some plays. We hung in there, battled, and then I think they went 90 yards, that last drive, and he made every critical play. So we just didn't affect him. We just didn't affect him enough. He's a good football player. Really good player. He's special.
On Clemson’s growth and improvement heading into the Miami matchup: Just what I've seen in practice and the improvement that we've made. We've gotten better. We've sorted the quarterback situation. Very unsettled going into that game, and now we've got kind of that settled, and we've got a kid that's gaining experience. And he's not perfect. He's got to get better. Certainly got to get off to better starts. But we've improved in a lot of areas. This is a different animal right here now, right? This is a big challenge. They're gonna make some plays. But I just think we've kind of grown in our identity a little bit and figured some things out. That's got to go play games to get to that point. I like what I've seen. I like how we're running the ball. I like, that's been a big part of winning games for us. You got to be able to run the ball efficiently to win games. You got to be able to throw it to win championships. That's part of it too. So we got to certainly get better there. I think that's easier than the run game. And so I am encouraged by what we've been able to do, especially running the ball when people know we're gonna run the ball. We've been able to finish the game in fourth quarters and impose our will. And I think that's a really good sign. So we've improved. That's the biggest thing. We're a little bit more experienced, but, the margin for error is still very, very small in games like this.
On his relationship with Mario Cristobal: First time I met him, he was the head coach at FIU and came up here for a spring practice. I knew him a little bit when he was at Alabama. I didn’t get to know him much until he was in our league. He’s done an unbelievable job. We played against each other, too. We played against him in the national championship in 1992. He was on their team in 1992 when we played them in Louisiana. He’s done an amazing job. It’s really come together for them. They’ve recruited very well. He has a great staff. All of those guys have done a great job. A coach is only as good as his staff. I have a lot of respect for him.
On his reaction to the prime-time slot game on ESPN: Our fans show up no matter what. That’s one thing I’ll say. It’s been a weird year. We’re kicking off at 7:30 and it’s one of the earliest kickoffs we’ve had all year. We’ve had two 9:30 kickoffs and a 10:30 kickoff. Even the noon kickoff was the longest game in Clemson history. It’s just insane. My first reaction was awesome. Our fans deserve that. We haven’t had a chance to put it all together.
