Dabo Swinney calls Syracuse WR Oronde Gadsden a 'great player'

The Clemson Tigers advanced to 7-0 last Saturday after defeating their rivals Florida State down in Tallahassee. Despite the Tigers’ defense allowing the Seminoles to go on a late run, they controlled Florida States’ pass offense for much of the game. The Seminole star receiver Johnny Wilson was kept in line for much of the game, recording just six receptions for 75 yards. But that was last week. This week brings a new challenge in Syracuse star receiver Oronde Gadsden II. And Tiger’s head coach Dabo Swinney understands the type of talent Gadsden is on the field.

“19’s a new challenge and great player,” said Swinney when asked about Gadson compared to Florida States’ Johnny Wilson. They move him all over the place; from the backfield to the slot to the boundaries of the field. He’s a little bit everywhere. And they got other guys. They got two or three other good players that can hurt you as well. One that went 60-something was last year. So, yeah, we definitely got to know where 19 is.”

The sophomore wideout from Fort Lauderdale, FL, has been a problem for opposing defenses. Gadsden, the son of former Miami Dolphins star receiver who is his namesake, has recorded 31 receptions for 570 yards with five touchdowns this year, which is tops for the Orange.

However, for Clemson, it shouldn’t matter who is on the other side. He is a solid young receiver, but he is only an obstacle in the way of the Tigers’ end goal. That is to reclaim their spot at the top of the ACC and college football by winning this year’s College Football Playoff.

Swinney stresses importance of tackling for Clemson’s defense

The Clemson Tigers were able to throttle down the Florida State Seminoles’ offense on Saturday for their seventh victory of the season. However, the final score was not indicative of how well their defense played, largely because of less than championship-worthy defense played to end the game. The Tigers’ defenders will have an opportunity to make up for their fourth-quarter performance against the Syracuse Orange this Saturday. And if anybody knows how ready they are for the game, it is Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney who recently took some time to stress the importance of tackling for his defense.

“Yeah, absolutely. They’re competitors,” said Swinney. “These guys take pride in their performance. Really the biggest thing we just got tackled well. And that’s fundamental; just wrapping up and being where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there. But, absolutely, these guys are a very competitive bunch. Again, they take a lot of pride in their performance, and anytime we don’t do something as well as we like, there’s always a lot of effort to get better.”