Clemson vs. North Texas Postgame Quotes

Sept. 4, 2010

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Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney

On Game: “North Texas played us tough throughout the game. They hung in there and gave us a challenge. We had a lot of unknowns about them coming into the game, but our veteran guys made a lot of adjustments. The best thing about the game is that it’s over. At the end of the day all that matters is the score and they had only 10 compared to our 35.”

On Jamie Harper and Andre Ellington: “Both guys had over 100 yards, which was great. I wouldn’t trade those two for any other guys in the nation. If we can establish and keep a good running offense throughout the season we can have an effective offense.”

On Offensive Line: “Our core group is made up of veterans and they sure played with poise and did not let the North Texas defense panic them.”

On Defense: “The guys played with a lot of aggression. They never gave up.

“Defensively we played hard. I’m looking forward to watching their progress throughout their service.

“Malliciah Goodman is a very diverse player. It’s hard to find a guy with a body like his. He’s a great person and I expect to see great things from him this season.”

On Time of Possession Difference: “The 42 minute to 18 minute difference is very frustrating. We had some explosive plays, which led to quick scores. We need to improve on third downs as a defense.”

North Texas Head Coach Todd Dodge

On his team’s effort: “I’m just so proud of our football team and the way that they just battled and battled and battled. We expected to win when we came here. I think the reason we were in the hunt for the entire game is because that’s what the expectation was.”

On the challenge Clemson presented to his team: “We played against a top ACC program with a top 25 defense in about seven categories in the country and seven offensive starters coming back, a team that went to their championship game. I feel good–not real good–but good about how our players battled. I’m so proud of the character that they showed today and the expectation that we’ve been talking about as we come through the season.”

On bouncing back from an early deficit: “We talked a lot about that in the offseason. At some point in the existence of our football program, we have to quit that attitude of (complaining about) bad breaks early in the ball game. That’s something that I really believe that our players had overcome before we ever came here, but it sure was good to see. That adversity jumped right on us early and we came back and battled them hard. Our players were toe-to-toe with them for the entire first half.”

On his offense’s execution: “We had to get the ball out of our hands, but we had to get the ball to people on the move. They have a tremendous front four with a great pass rush. We saw it early when they were getting pressure on us. Nate was able to get the ball into the hands of enough playmakers to get some runs after the catch. I thought Lance did a fabulous job of making some really tough yards. I thought our offensive line played with a tremendous amount of heart and guts. It probably wasn’t pretty at times, but they were facing a pretty good-looking bunch.”

On his strategy for containing Kyle Parker: “I thought we had people around the ball for a lot of the night. I thought we had some pass disruptions and made him get out of the pocket some.”

Clemson Player Quotes

Quarterback Kyle Parker “We have a lot of talented players, the biggest thing is that we need to become more consistent. Now that we’ve played this first game, we’re going to be able to go into the rest of the games really knowing what we have. There are a lot of things we can get better at and we’re going to have to get better. Today was a day to build our confidence for the rest of the season.”

“Those are two guys (Ellington and Harper) that definitely have experience, everyone’s seen them run before. They’re really talented and they’re a big part of why we had a big offensive game today. You know what to expect when those guys are on the field.”

Running Back Jamie Harper “We got in there and Andre and I really just tried to make the new storm come alive. You know as a running back, every time you think about yourself touching the ball, you think you’re going to be able to pop it. I told Andre last night in the hotel that he was going to pop out and score like that and sure enough, he did it.”

“We’ve really been working on the receivers blocking. They did a great job of staying downfield and holding their blocks.”

“We really learned a lot from C.J. and James, but now it’s time for the new storm.”

“The main objective is to win the game and you have to score to win. I think for me the receiving touchdown was more satisfying than the long run because I got the score.”

Running Back Andre Ellington “The whole point was to go out there and execute, and we went out and executed like we were supposed to.”

“Jamie and I are calling ourselves the new storm. It’s more of a together thing than a separate `thunder and lightning’ thing.”

“I always think I’m going to break a long run like that first touchdown, I expect it. But I didn’t think it was going to be my first carry of the season. Once I saw open field, I just ran. After a few broken tackles it was endzone; all I saw were fans in front of me.”