Clemson vs. South Carolina Postgame Quotes

Nov. 27, 2010

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Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney

Overall thoughts: “This was a very disappointing game. We didn’t play smart. South Carolina is a very good team and you can’t give a good team easy points like we did with the interception and penalties. I am just very disappointed in how we played, I can’t put it any other way. You have to give credit to USC and how they played.”

On inserting Tajh Boyd: “I’m proud of him. This was great experience for him to draw on. He had some really good throws and ran the ball well. He is a talented young man.”

On the play of his defense: “Last year we allowed USC about 200 rushing yards. Tonight we only gave up 97 rushing yards. I’m proud of how our guys played up front, especially Jenkins and Thompson.”

On the disappointment of the season: “This was a very disappointing season. To lose to USC is very unacceptable. Our future is bright, but it’s awful dark right now. Part of being a leader is to look at the positives, and we have a good future ahead. We have a great young football team coming back next year.”

South Carolina Head Coach Steve Spurrier

On his team’s inability to establish the run: “Kevin Steele had an excellent plan. We couldn’t run the ball on those guys. We tried a little bit of everything. The only way we could move it was throwing it.”

On the impact of Spencer Lanning: “Our kicker/punter, Spencer Lanning, was sensational. If you’re going to win any kind of championship, you have to have a good kicker. We’ve got a super kicker in Spencer Lanning. He got a game ball.”

On next week’s SEC Championship showdown with Auburn: “Next week is one of the biggest games that our team has ever played. We’re looking forward to it. We’ve got a bunch of guys that like going on big stages. It was a big stage here tonight, and it was a big stage down in Florida. But the really big stage is down in Atlanta.”

On the interception return for a touchdown: “Our defense was really playing well. Antonio was in position. Sometimes, he drops those, but he caught that one. All of our guys are catching them now. Earlier in the year, we had some opportunities we didn’t take advantage of. But Antonio Allen has turned into a really good strong safety.”

On recovering from Clemson’s opening touchdown drive: “Well, Florida ran the opening kickoff back, too. It was sort of interesting that we came back and got a field goal (against Florida). Sure enough, tonight, after they scored, we put together a semi-drive and Spencer made a 46-yarder. That got us back in the ball game.”

Clemson Player Quotes

Quarterback Tajh Boyd: “It was definitely a great experience for me to play tonight. We have a very young team and a lot to look forward to in the future.

“I’m from Virginia and I’m just starting to understand how intense this rivalry is. It’s something big and special for the fans. You definitely want to win it for those people out there. We are just going to do whatever we can to get it for them next year.

“I was a little surprised to get the call. I felt like I didn’t have a lot of opportunities and a lot of reps this season so this really helped me out a lot. It was really a confidence booster. We have a lot to look forward to with this young team. We have a bowl game coming up and we have to help the seniors go out victorious.

“I always want the best for Kyle (Parker). I wish he could have finished his last game here, but I think everything happens for a reason. Hopefully this will lead to some good things.”

Wide Receiver DeAndre Hopkins: “Things just didn’t go our way today. We called plays and they just didn’t click. South Carolina didn’t really do anything different after that touchdown, but we just didn’t have guys step up and make plays.

“We have a lot of seniors on this team and it’s really quiet in that locker room. Guys know that we could have come out and gotten this win but we didn’t.

“We thought we could come back. A couple of their touchdowns came off of luck plays. We gave them the ball and gave them opportunities to score. We tried to keep our attitudes positive on the sidelines. You never want to give up in a rivalry game.”

Defensive End Da’Quan Bowers: “They executed when they needed to and they got the job done. You can’t take anything away from those guys. I thought we had a decent game. We could have made a few more plays, but overall I thought the defensive effort was great. We will come in on Monday and we’ll critique everything and see what we can do better.

“It’s always frustrating when teams take you out of the game. I was disappointed with not breaking the sack record, but I had bigger things to worry about. I would have taken the win either way. Hopefully I’ll get it during the bowl game.”