Everything Dabo Swinney said on Sunday previewing the South Carolina game

Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney looked ahead to the South Carolina game on Sunday night during his regularly scheduled teleconference.

Below is an edited transcript of Swinney’s remarks about the Gamecocks and the upcoming Palmetto Bowl.

On the South Carolina game…

“Now it’s on to the next one. It’s a great opportunity to play in a rivalry game. This is a game that’s got a lot of national significance as well. Fun to be a part of that. Look forward to competing our butts off in it.

Hopefully get a few guys back this week health-wise that hopefully give us a best-case scenario from a health standpoint as we get ready to take on a really, really good South Carolina team.

I don’t know what will be ranked, two, probably top 15 team. It’ll probably be the highest ranked rivalry game in the country. So it’s exciting to be a part of that.”

[GamecockCentral: $1 for 7 days and 50% off first year]

On what he sees on tape when watching South Carolina…

“Well, I think they’ve recruited some good personnel in there. I think they’re playing, you know, really well with their strengths. I mean, defensively, they’ve got a really strong group. I think one of the best defenses in the country. And statistically, that’s what it says as well.

And then I just see the way this quarterback has improved all throughout the year. He’s just gotten better and better and better. He’s a dual threat. He can hurt you with his legs and his arm. They’ve really been able to run the football consistently. They’re throwing and catching at a high level, especially in these last several games. I think they’ve won five games in a row, so they’ve got a lot of confidence.

And I just think he’s done a great job of just keeping them focused and keeping them together. It’s a long season, man. It’s a long season, and every week is a season of its own. And every week, you’ve got a million different storyline based on the outcome of the game. I think he’s done a good job in keeping his team focused on what they need to do that week, regardless of whatever outcome you had the previous week. And that’s easier said than done. I think he’s done a great job with that.

On injuries ahead of the game with South Carolina…

We’ll know more by Tuesday, but, you know, we’re hopeful that we’re going to get our linemen back. That’s what we’re hoping.

We’ll see how they ran today. We’ll see how they look tomorrow night. I think by Tuesday, I’ll have a little better feel, but we’re trending in a good direction, so hopefully that’ll stay the case.

We should get Brinny (Jake Briningstool) back. Brinny’s just had a little strain in his hamstring, and, you know, kind of tweaked that, and wasn’t able to go this week. So should get him back. I think he was feeling a lot better, so I feel good about that.

I do think we’ll get RJ (Mickens) back as well. I feel like he’s heading in a good direction and then we’ll just see on a couple of these other guys.

On the stress that a dual-threat quarterback like LaNorris Sellers creates…

“All you got to do is watch what Cade Klubnick’s done this year. I mean, it’s been the difference in our season. He’s got, what, two 50-plus yard touchdowns, I think? And I mean, Cade presents the same problem, and so it’s tough.

It changes things, for sure, and I think Seller’s is the same way. He’s really grown with his confidence and his presence and his poise as a first-year starter, and again, he’s going into game 12, so he’s got really good experience and just has gotten, again, more and more comfortable as the season has gone.

But when you’ve got a guy who can throw it and run it, you know, like he and Cade, puts a lot of pressure on the defense, and there’s a lot of times that the chains move when you really had them stopped, but the quarterback just made a play. Cade’s done that a million times and Sellers has as well. I think he’s the second-leading rusher on the team, so it’s going to be a big challenge, for sure.

On the ACC and ESPN requesting to move this game to Black Friday…

Well, it’s what’s best for Clemson. You know, it’s what’s best for the community here. You know, this is a small town. This is not some some big city. This is a small town, And we have a lot of businesses that depend on these game days. And then it affects your recruiting, opportunity for people to get here, and it affects our students. There’s a lot of reasons. And that’s really the biggest thing. I mean, our kids go home for Thanksgiving, and so they get a chance to travel back on Friday and create a great environment and atmosphere for us on Saturday, as opposed to having to leave on Thanksgiving Day and not be with their families if they want to come back and go to the game. So there’s a lot of reasons, but one of the main reasons to me is it’s what’s best for this community and it’s what’s best for our program when it comes to recruiting and getting people here and all those things.

There’s a lot of kids that we’re recruiting that they’re playing on Friday. They’re playing in playoff games, so now they can’t come to our game. So we want them to have the opportunity to come to one of the biggest games going on in the country, and they can’t come to it if they’re playing in their game as well. So there’s a lot of reasons on why, but that’s just a few of them.

Discuss South Carolina football on The Insiders Forum!