Dabo Swinney previews the challenge in facing Florida State's wide receivers

Florida State has a couple of matchup nightmares at receiver in Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson. Slowing down the 6-foot-4 and 6-foot-7 wideouts is a big priority for Clemson on Saturday.

With that said, Dabo Swinney made it clear this week that you can’t just focus on stopping those two. Swinney believes that Florida State has an offense that can challenge you in a number of different ways.

“It’s not just having big wide receivers, it’s the totality of their package, of what they do. I mean they’re physical up front. It’s all built on trying to stay on schedule on first down through the run game,” Swinney said this week. “That’s what creates problems, because you can’t say, ‘Alright, we’re going to stop this great receiver over here.’ They’ve got a great running back. They’ve got a great, dynamic quarterback who they’re going to get on the edge. And so there’s a lot of problems. I mean this is just a really complete offense. They’re explosive in the run and the pass.”

FSU quarterback Jordan Travis has proven that he can beat teams with his arm and his legs, while running back Trey Benson is one of the top backs in the ACC. The Seminoles also have an excellent tight end in Jaheim Bell, who has already recorded three touchdowns on the year.

Clemson doesn’t want to let Florida State get its running game going, but in order to try to slow it down, the Tigers will have leave their corners on an island at times.

“Schematically they create some problems because they create 1-on-1 matchups. So it’s going to be a lot of competitive plays. [Wilson] is a giant. He’s got a humongous catch radius. He’s a very experienced guy. And then 4 is a big, strong dynamic player. Strong hands, strong runner, fast. He’s a returner as well. So elite football players create problems,” Swinney said.

“But it’s more than just being elite and talented players at that position. It’s the package of how they put it all together, because it really challenges you from a discipline standpoint — eyes, because you’ve got a quarterback back there who really understands what’s he’s doing and they’re going to use him through the run game and through the play action, which creates space.”

Clemson cornerbacks, including Sheridan Jones, Nate Wiggins, Toriano Pride and Jeadyn Lukus, will need to play well for the Tigers to have a shot.

Clemson also needs its defensive linemen to step up and create pressure up front.

“You can’t just line up and play zone against these guys, because you’re going to be short and they’re going to run the ball down your throat. They create advantages with the quarterback, so it’s like playing 13 on 11,” Swinney said. “You have to win your matchup, but hey, we like our guys. … It comes down to matchups. You’ve gotta win more battles than you lose.”