Swinney ready for Homecoming in Death Valley

Swinney speaks to the media Tuesday.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tue Oct 03 12:38:40 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON – Homecoming in Death Valley is always special, and as head coach Dabo Swinney reminded the media Tuesday, everyone will be decorating for Christmas the next time the Tigers play at home.

Clemson (3-2, 1-2), a 21-point favorite, plays host to Wake Forest (3-1, 0-1) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on the ACC Network.

“We are excited to be back in the Valley this week. It's Homecoming, which is always a fun week, seeing the students participate in what's going on,” Swinney said during his weekly Tuesday press conference. “I like to take a different route whether I'm coming to work or going home. I did that yesterday, actually to see the Habitat for Humanity House and what they’re building.”

The Demon Deacons were off last Saturday, a week after dropping a 30-16 decision to Georgia Tech.

"Wake Forest, this is a 3-1 team. We were more than lucky to win this game last year. This is a well-coached team and has been for a long time,” Swinney said. “They are unique in what they do, which creates some challenges. It's the second-best group of receivers we have seen along with Florida State. Their QB (Mitch Griffis) is very talented. They always have a QB who is crafty. He is gritty and can make all the throws. He runs way better than you want him to run. He's tough. They have three really good backs. No. 6 (Justice Ellison) and No. 23 (Demond Claiborne) have gotten the majority of the carries, but No. 30 (Tate Carney) is a bruiser. They understand their scheme up front, and they're just a well-coordinated offense. They create problems."

The Demon Deacons feature the nation’s 46th-ranked defense.

“Defensively, they have some dudes up front. They're not as deep as they have been, but the first five or six guys are good players. No. 30 (Jasheen Davis) is a load off the edge,” Swinney said, “No. 40 (Jacob Roberts) at linebacker is a transfer who is having a heck of a year. They're one of the best-coached secondaries every year. They do what they do, and they do it well. They understand leverage and route-reading. They do a good job with their eyes. You need to be very disciplined in how you execute in the passing game.”

Clemson held on to beat Wake 51-45 last season.

"They're a good team across the board. It's painful to watch the tape from last year,” Swinney said. “It was by far our worst game on defense. They big-played us to death."

How different is Wake Forest without Sam Hartman?

"They're not. They're committed to doing what they do. It's not like this QB just got there. He's a good player and is supported by a very good group of receivers. They have four or five guys who can flat out play. All of their running backs are really good."

Do they run the slow mesh with this QB?

"Yes. And this guy blocks, too. He'll try to cut off your end with a body block. He's a crafty player. You can tell he is a veteran guy. He can make all the throws, too. He's confident. They must throw 10 deep shots a game ... every single game. I'm talking loading it up and letting it launch. We were really poor last year. They either made the play or we had a PI. We were so bad defensively in this game last year. We have come a long way defensively. It'll take a great effort this week to slow these guys down."

On getting Tyler Brown late in the recruiting process

"It's just God's favor that we got him. We had a kid decommit and boom and the world is coming to an end, right? I just look at it as God's favor. I look at who we do get. We had a D-lineman who recommitted, and then we got Shaq Lawson who wasn't rated as highly and I think he's still playing. Tyler is a Clemson kid. I have pictures with him at the rock when he was little, maybe a little shorter than he is now. Look, we play the best player despite what some people may think sometimes. As we went through camp, it became evident that he'd be able to help us. Then you have to play, though. Practice is one thing, but the game is different. He has taken full advantage of it. That's what the great ones do. We've had freshmen start at every position here. It's all based on what we see in practice. He has earned it. We haven't given him anything. He'll be around here at least three more years.

“He's a warrior, man. He's got incredible physical and mental toughness. He was a little sore last week, but no issues. He has a lot of confidence. It's amazing what happens when you make plays. He was more of a basketball guy in high school at one point. The best receivers we have had here have been great basketball players. When you play basketball, it's natural to transition. You're always changing direction. It's natural to high point balls. All of our great ones were basketball players. I don't think Hunter Renfrow played basketball his junior and senior year but I've played basketball with him, and he can play."

On Antonio Williams and Nate Wiggins and how they looked Monday

"Good. They looked pretty good last night. We'll load both up with pads today. We're hopeful (for this weekend) but nothing definite right now."