Everything Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said about Notre Dame football

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said Tuesday he kicked back and watched college football with his Tigers on a bye week. Now he’s back in business preparing to take No. 4 Clemson (8-0) to South Bend to face Notre Dame (5-3).

But for one Saturday, Swinney was all of us. He had four games going on one TV.

“That was a blast,” Swinney said. “It was the greatest thing ever.”

Facing Notre Dame can simultaneously be the greatest thing ever for an opposing coach because of the aura tied to it and the worst thing ever because of the degree of difficulty of playing a program with such pedigree.

Swinney spoke on that and more in his weekly press conference.

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Opening statement

“I’m excited to go up to Notre Dame. This is a really good football team. It’s a team when you look at them and study them, I’ve watched every play of every game and have a good feel for who they are. I don’t know Coach [Marcus] Freeman, but he has done a good job of just settling them in. That’s the best way I could say it. They had two tough losses. And when you’re at a place like Notre Dame or Clemson, it just really shows the type of leader that I think he is that he has been able to overcome that and really settle them down and manage that staff and team. I know he’s always been a great coach, but I’m impressed with him as a leader because it’s a difficult thing to do.

“They’ve had injuries. They lost their starting quarterback. They’ve had to redefine themselves in some areas. They lost a great receiver. They’ve had another tight end out. They’ve had great players that they’ve lost. But they still have eight starters back on offense and seven back on defense. It’s a really veteran football team.

“They don’t get off to the start that they want, but they were right there against Ohio State in the fourth quarter. Then obviously another difficult loss after that. Then your quarterback gets hurt. How do you handle that? Well, they’ve won five out of six. They’ve settled down. They have found their identity. They’re getting the ball to their playmakers.

“Ten, Pyne, the quarterback has settled into his role. They were trying to figure out some things. They have three grown men at running back. There is no secret what their identity is. You can either match that or you can’t. You’ve played eight games. You have a distinct style of play at this point. They’re a very physical group. All three backs can beat you. All three have about the same amount of carries. These guys are really good football players. We saw one up close a couple years ago. They’ve settled in at receiver. They’ve got three really good receivers in 0, 4 and 83. Then 87 is an All-American. He’s a great, great football player that they use. They have a style of play, and you’re either ready for that or you’re not. It’s going to be a very physical game. No secret there.

“We can’t give these guys short fields. We can’t turn the ball over. We had three turnovers in seven games and then all of a sudden we had four in one game. That is a recipe for disaster. We were very fortunate to overcome that. It would be hard to overcome that on the road at a place like Notre Dame. We have to take care of the ball, try to turn them over and not let them control the ball.”

On the Notre Dame defense

“Defensively, they are well coached. They’re positioned. They’re big. They’re strong. It’s the same mindset every day. It’s a physical mindset that they have. They do a good job schematically on the back end. They have some veteran players. Again, seven starters back on the defensive side. The three linebackers, I think, are outstanding. They have a lot of experience.”

On playing at Notre Dame

“This is a complete football team. Excellent punter. Excellent kicker. As things kind of got away from them early, it’s really good to see [them bounce back]. I know what it’s like to be in that situation where there is a lot of disappointment early, especially at a place like Notre Dame. To see them respond, you have to give a lot of credit to those kids and that coaching staff — in particular Marcus and the job he has done. Winning five out of six, they’re a confident group. They’re coming off a ranked win. They’re one of the few teams out there in the country that have multiple ranked wins. Definitely going to be a tough challenge up there.

“But we’re looking forward to it. I’m sure they’re disappointed it’s not going to be three inches of snow. Maybe one day that will work out. But I think it will be a beautiful night and a great opportunity for both teams. It should be be a heck of a football game.”

On the atmosphere in South Bend

“That’s what makes college football great. As a competitor and someone who has been a part of college football since 1988 as a player and a coach, I love that. I love playing in Tuscaloosa. I loved playing at Legion Field. I know that’s a thing of the past, but I loved that. I love going on the road to Knoxville, Baton Rouge and Arkansas. You name it. I’ve been all over the country.

“Coming to a place like Clemson and being able to coach in a venue like this, it’s special. All these places we get to go to, it’s awesome. The crowd at Florida State a couple weeks ago was tremendous. We know everywhere we go, we’ll get everybody’s best shot. We’re going to get everybody’s best fan support. You name it. It comes with being at Clemson. As a competitor, you love that. As a college person whether you are a coach or a player, it’s special.

“Then you have places like Notre Dame. That’s iconic. We’ve won there once since 1979. I know we have only played there once, but still. It’s not like you get to go to a place like Notre Dame every year. The history and the brand of Notre Dame speaks for itself. This is a historic place that [former Clemson SID and 1977 Notre Dame graduate] Tim Bourret loves to tell me about for the last 20 years. I know way more about Notre Dame than I probably should. But it’s special.

“We were thankful to be able to play [in 2020], but also at the same time it was kind of disappointing especially when you have this vision and you go up there and it is what it is at that time. So it is exciting to be able to see Notre Dame at its best, and I know that’s what we’ll get. We’ll get the best they got and look forward to competing against them.”

On Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer

“They’re moving him around, first of all. They’ll put him outside and throw a one-on-one red zone shot to him. They’ll put him in the slot for an inside fade. They’ll throw double moves to him. They use him like a receiver. They screen it to him. They’ll literally screen it to him like he’s a receiver. They’ve handed it to him in the backfield. But most of it comes from their run action. Swap, boots. Where’s Waldo? He’s all over the place. He’s one, he’s two, he’s three.”

On the Irish offense

“You have to stop the run or they’re going to kill you. Those three backs are sledgehammers. Those offensive linemen create extra gaps [with formations]. It’s a real challenge just to line up against them because it’s a different type of football you see on a weekly basis. It challenges you from a discipline standpoint, leverage and alignment because they create off of that.”

“The quarterback isn’t a guy who will be in the shotgun and throw it 50 times. That’s not who they are. He’s going to be on the move with everything they do, whether it be the power, counter, stretch or swap-boot stuff. It’s doesn’t matter. They’re just creative with where they put [Mayer] and how they involve him in the normal pass game and then all play action stuff. Everyone knows he’s going to get the ball but you still have to respect him as a blocker.

“You have to stop the run on these guys. If you don’t, you’re not going to win. They do what they do. It’s a million ways to get to it, but boom, there’s the power. At the end of the day, that’s what is coming. It’s the swap-zone. They do a great job creatively as far as how they get to those things. You have to be able to fit it all up against all their different looks, alignments, motions, etc. They do a really good job. They have a good package.”

On Irish special teams

“Three games in a row [with a Notre Dame blocked punt]. That may be a record. Four is probably a record. It’s hard to do that. Three games in a row where they’ve blocked a punt? And five on the season? That absolutely has our attention. High alert. We have to do a great job of communicating and making sure everyone does their job and apply what we do to what we see. They do a great job coming after it.”