BC head coach says there is "no doubt" Clemson is the No. 1 team in the country

Addazio's Eagles play in Clemson at 7:30 Saturday

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Oct 23 07:58:13 GMT-04:00 2019

Boston College head coach Steve Addazio says there is no doubt that Clemson is the best team in the country.

The Eagles (4-3 overall and 2-2 in the ACC) face off against the Tigers (7-0, 5-0) Saturday at 7:30 in Death Valley.

“As we move forward, we need to continue to grow," Addazio said. "Obviously, we're going down to play the defending National Champion. We're going down to play an elite football team. On a personal note, I just have the utmost respect for Dabo Swinney. Gotten to know Dabo over the years. I think he's an outstanding football coach, a better motivator. He just has a knack for creating a great culture with his program, that's been obvious, and then, of course, recruit at a high level. So they have a lot of elite players on their program, on their team. That's very obvious when you watch the tape.

“There's no doubt in any mind that they're the No. 1 team in the country -- skilled, talented everywhere, proven it on the field. So when I watch their tape, I see no weaknesses. I see great athletes and a great coaching staff. I think their offensive coordinator, their defensive coordinator, those guys are elite guys, and you can tell by, when you watch the tape, how well-coached each side of the ball is. We've been down there a few times and here and had some wars, and our guys are well aware. They're smart guys. They know that this is an outstanding football team but also excited for the challenge. I expect that we'll have a great week of preparation and go down there and play with great effort and finish.”

Addazio expects Death Valley to be loud, a challenge for his younger players.

“Now they've got to do that on the road in a really unique venue, and that will be different for some of these young guys. It's just the facts, right? I mean, you're going into an environment, it's like right up on you,” Addazio said. “It's going to be really, really loud and all that, and there's just going to be a lot going on. That will be a process for them as well.

“Although Louisville had a little bit, that wasn't quite the same as going into Clemson. This is part of the journey, man, and that's -- offensively, this will be the first real crowd noise game we've been in this year. We handled it in Louisville, and I'm not worried about it with that crew, but it's a factor. You watch the tape, teams come in there, and you can see them struggling to communicate a little bit. The good thing for us is we don't -- everything is signaled. So not a lot of talking going on anyway. It doesn't affect us quite as much.”

He was asked if Clemson’s drop in the polls – despite winning by 35 at Louisville – has him worried the Eagles are headed towards the proverbial buzz saw.

“A long time ago, I gave up on all that, you know what I mean? I'm sure it's all in there somewhere, but to me, I'm sure quality -- I know what Dabo is like. It's about -- I'm sure down there it's about Boston College right now,” Addazio said. “Just like for us right now, it's about Clemson. All that stuff, if you ride those roller coasters -- not to say that human nature doesn't a little bit, but if you ride those roller coasters, I don't think that's very positive. So if you're riding it, it could be as much of a positive as a negative. I think, if you're getting caught up in that stuff, say, well, hey, it's us against the world and we're getting disrespected, I guess that can work. But sometimes that can cause you to lose your focus a little bit too. I know what my thought process would be, but the key is getting 85 young men on the same thought process, and that's always been the key, right?

“Come on now, they've been there before. These guys, they've won championships, National Championships, conference championships. This program knows how to ride through the emotional ups and downs of everything. What is it now, 22 straight? I mean, that's really hard. Everybody has bad days now. That's really hard. You're everybody's big game. You're taking everybody's best shot. That speaks volumes to what Dabo Swinney and his stuff have done down there to me. That's very, very difficult to do. So I would put them in the expert category of handling noise.”