Clemson vs. Boston College Postgame Quotes

Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney

Overall thoughts:“It’s good to know that we can win a street fight. You have to give Boston College credit. They were a tough team, but we battled, we played very physically and we were just a little bit deeper than they were. It’s good to pull out a win. The play of our defense was tremendous. We held the nation’s leading rusher to 70 yard,  and that was awesome. We’ve held opposing teams to 14 points in five straight games. Our defense is playing great.

“We missed a lot of opportunities on offense. We had a lot of miscues. We totaled 500 yards of offense and that was the worst we’ve played all year, but that’s very encouraging. We had a lot of missed opportunities and have a lot to improve on. We showed resolve and character and won the second half, 21-7. If you want to be a good team, you have to win games like this. We kept fighting and overcame mistakes and it’s good to get out with a win.”

On the play of both defenses:“Boston College had a great plan against us. They brought unusual pressure. Our guys were well prepared, but didn’t take care of business. We got turnovers and big plays when we needed them and showed a lot of heart. The fun is in the winning. Physically, Boston College really got after us and Florida State (earlier in the season). We really played sound on defense.

On the play of his defensive line:“Our fans made a difference in the game. They gave us unbelievable energy when we needed it, especially in the third quarter. I can’t thank our fans enough. They’ve turned this into a hard place for visiting teams to execute. Our defensive line took the game over.”

On the play of the offense:“The standard here is really high. We had 500 yards of offense, but we’re not happy. We left a lot on the field. You can’t put the ball on the ground; that’s what causes offenses like ours to stall and let teams hang around. We couldn’t finish our drives on offense. We’re not always perfect, but at the end of the day, it’s all about the ‘W’.”

On the play of Roderick McDowell:“Rod is one of the best leaders we have on the field. We gave him the ball right after his fumble because we knew he would go out and execute. You have to overcome some things, and he did. Unfortunately, we don’t have perfect coaches or perfect players. People make mistakes, but we overcame them today. All the credit goes to the players and fans. This is a hard place for visiting teams to win and I’m proud of everyone.”

Boston College Head Coach Steve Addazio

“I just met with the team, and obviously we are disappointed. We fought hard and the guys left it all on the field. We took the No. 3 team in the country toe to toe, but we just did not finish. Clemson has a very good football team and they showed it today. I will never be happy with a loss, and I will not be happy today. I like our team a lot. We did some really good things and some really bad things. If we can keep working and keep believing, then good things will happen. We had to burn too many timeouts to avoid penalties and we could have used those towards the end. I really like this football team, and I will keep working to make them better.”

On Chase Rettig performance:“I thought he made some great plays and made some great throws. I loved his leadership and his demeanor today. It’s hard in there, backed into the endzone where it is loud. He battled his tail off and kept his composure. That guy is competing his tail off, and he is laying it all on the line. I am very proud of him.”

On play calling:“We need to get some more creative plays, because the defenses we are playing are very good and we have to throw some different looks at them. I thought we threw everything we had at them today, and we were very successful at times.”

On what he has learned about his team:“They are tough and there is a lot of heart and determination on this team. I love our coaching staff and our players. We are really wrapped tight together and we work well as a unit. There is no doubt that anyone watching us sees that we are improving and getting better as a team.”

On FSU vs. Clemson matchup:“They both have great talent on their teams and they are very explosive and fast. It will be one of the better games of the year.They both have really good defenses and both have two really good quarterbacks. Plain and simple, they are both really good football teams.”

Clemson Player Quotes

Quarterback Tajh Boyd

On the game:“At the end of the day a win is a win. The main objective of the game was to go to 6-0, but we didn’t expect to only have three points at the end of the first half so we have to come out to practice and get better.”

On how adversity today helps going into next week:“I think we have a very mature team, just look at the way the defense performed. I mean I’ve been in this situation plenty of times so you just have to look at it and lead because you have some young guys that haven’t been it this situation before. So for me personally, as a three year starter, you just have to let those young guys know that we’ll be ok.”

On the play of his defense:“They were huge today and a huge reason why we won. They played amazing and I can’t speak more proudly of those guys. Offensively we left some things out on the field and the defense came out and stuffed them.”

On ESPN College GameDay coming to Clemson:“We’ve been in every situation you can ask out of a team. I think that all the experience that we’ve accumulated from all the previous games will help us out.  I think we have a mature team. GameDay is cool, but that’s more for everyone else besides us.”

On the matchup with Florida State’s Jameis Winston next week:“He is going to be a ridiculous player. He just goes out and lays it all on the line and that’s what it’s all about. He goes out and competes. I’ve never met him but I respect him.”

Wide Receiver Sammy Watkins

Thoughts on the game:“Overall, I think we just weathered the storm and that’s all that matters right now.  We need to continue to get better and we’ll accomplish that this week in practice.”

On his touchdown:“We just recognized what personnel they were in, and Tajh read cover 1. I knew I was getting the ball, so I just had to beat the defender and I did that.

“It was the exact same play (as the one to Bryant that was called back due to a penalty). We just came back in a different formation and ran the same play.”

On next Saturday’s game:“It’s going to be another hard game, and we just have to eliminate all the turnovers we had today and we’ll be fine. Even with the turnovers we still had 496 yards of total offense, but we can do better than that.  The only thing this offense has to do is eliminate sacks and turnovers and we’ll be fine.”

Defensive End Vic Beasley

On the team’s defensive performance:“It was a big effort. Our defense comes out every week and tries to play the best we can. We come out each week and try to play the best ball we can, and our defensive front made a big statement today. We hear a lot about our offense, but want to be the strength of the team. I believe we are making a statement now. I think this is definitely the most complete game we have played, this is the most dominant.”

On preparing for Florida State next Saturday:“One game at a time, that’s how we look at it. We know Florida State is next, but we were just focusing on Boston College. We are looking forward to this week and trying to get another win.”

On his first career touchdown:“When I saw the ball I thought, ‘Ah, yes!’ I was waiting for this moment my whole career – it was my turn, I guess. I scored a few touchdowns in high school but it’s difficult to score one in a college career. The touchdown gave us a lot of momentum, and going back out there on defense put the crowd on our side.”