Dabo Swinney: Records, rankings don't matter in Clemson-Florida State
This week, Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney is preparing his team for a massive challenge, the Florida State Seminoles.
Clemson is going to come into the game as an underdog after having the upper hand in this series for the last few years. However, Swinney thinks that when these two teams meet, records and rankings don’t matter.
“Hey, this is Clemson-Florida State, none of that matters,” Dabo Swinney said. “It doesn’t matter what the record is. It doesn’t matter who won last year, doesn’t matter what you’re ranked. This is a game where you better show up. You better show up and be ready.”
Florida State has a 20-15 record all-time against Clemson. However, the Tigers have won seven games in a row in this series. Since Dabo Swinney took over at Clemson, the Tigers are 9-4 against the Seminoles.
“It’s certainly great for the ACC when you have a lot of competitive balance, like we have. Our league is really good. We’ve got a lot of good players and a bunch of great quarterbacks and we play every one of them. So, this is just another battle along the way. It’s gonna be a bunch of battles ahead, but Clemson-Florida State you can throw all that stuff out the records,” Swinney said.
“I mean, just like we were 5-4 and upset the number three team in the country. It doesn’t matter. This is a game of passion. This is a game of a few plays, typically, every year. Yeah, there’s been some anomalies. There’s been some on both sides where Clemson’s giving up a million points and can barely move the ball, so I’ve been on both sides of it and it really doesn’t matter what you did last week or last year or whatever. This is just one of those games. They’re all big.”
Dabo Swinney also used a little coach speak ahead of the game suggesting it’s important to be ready for the biggest game of the year on Saturday.
“This is the biggest game of the year because it’s the one we’re playing and I know nobody wants to hear that, but that’s the fact. If you don’t have that mindset when you’re on this side of the microphone, you’re not going to be very consistent or very good. You win this game, guess what? You go to Syracuse next and lay an egg. Well, nobody cares,” Swinney said.
“So, every game is the biggest game of the year, but there are those games along the way that you have along your path that just got a little more juice to them. You get these rivalry matchups where there’s a lot of familiarity and intensity with your fanbases and things like that, and this is just one of those games.”
Dabo Swinney on the decision to bring back a graduate kicker
This past weekend, kicker Robert Gunn missed a field goal and an extra point against FAU. It seems Dabo Swinney has seen enough, as he brought back graduate kicker Jonathan Weitz.
“We went to the bullpen and called him off the beach. It’s either going to be a great story or it’s going to be terrible. It’s not going to be anything in between,” Swinney said.
“He’s got a boss up in New York probably pissed off. He spent the whole spring in France studying abroad and hanging out at the Eiffel Tower. Had a great summer, had his life planned out. He just rented an apartment in New York. He starts his job in two weeks, and he’s graduating with his Masters in December. And he gets a call from coach Swinney on Sunday, ‘Hey, you wanna come kick against the ‘Noles this weekend?’ And he’s just crazy enough to want to do it.”