Saturday 09/17/2016
CLEMSON HEAD COACH DABO SWINNEY QUOTES
“Today was a great day. It’s hard to play 92 guys and still get the shutout, I don’t care who you’re playing. I’m so proud of our guys. They played a clean game for four quarters today. This was great for our team, for our spirit and our morale. It was great to get out there today and go play.
“I’m proud of how we started the game. I don’t think our receivers had any drops in the first half. Coming out and getting in rhythm was huge for us. It was great to see us getting that rhythm going. That’s how we play.
“There were a lot of good things involved in the game today. It was nice to get a lot of the backups in the game and we got to play a lot of linemen. Greg Huegel has done a great job for us this year. I know he’s mad he missed one today, but he’s had 10 touchbacks.
“It’s also nice to see our guys taking pride in the return game. Ray-Ray McCloud leads the country in returns and he’s such a weapon for us. He also had a great game on offense.
“I’m glad that we’re 3-0. The ‘preseason’ is over now and we have eight straight conference games. We have a quick turnaround this week and we have a lot of work to do to get ready for Georgia Tech.
“It was also fun to see our guys celebrate (associate head coach) Dan Brooks in the locker room after the game. Today was his 400th career game. To have that type of longevity as an assistant is incredible, and there’s no better man out there. I’m glad I was here to be a part of that.
“I really appreciate our fans today. There was a great turnout and a lot of energy from the start. We hope to see a great crowd in Atlanta, too.”
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SC STATE HEAD COACH BUDDY POUGH QUOTES
“Things didn’t go as well as we would have liked to, but one thing we can take away from this experience is that this will prepare us for our conference. This three game (stretch) is a little ambitious for us, but we play hard in every game. Hopefully, it will sharpen us and give us more momentum going into the Florida A&M game.
“We have traveled all over the world, we have made a few bucks and now we have it behind us. We knew why we did it and let’s hope that it has us ready to play on our level. I was concerned that Clemson had not played that well on offense and was afraid at what might happen. I knew that was a bad sign.
“We did not execute well. A lot of that had to do with coach (Dabo) Swinney’s team.”
CLEMSON PLAYER QUOTES – OFFENSE
Kelly Bryant, QB
On throwing his first touchdown pass:“It felt really good, getting some playing time and getting to throw it in the endzone. It is something I will always remember, the first one. It was a really good feeling.”
On young guys getting some playing time:“The first team really handled business, so the backups got a lot of reps out there. You never know when something may happen, so getting those reps under our belt will help us out down the line.”
On having game film of himself to watch:“It helps a lot. We have practice film, but practice and game film is a little bit different. To see yourself out there against another opponent will help us all get better.”
Cornell Powell, WR
On extended playing time:“It was a great feeling, going out there, running down the Hill, playing for Clemson, like it always is. We are happy with the outcome. We got back on track. We have a short turnaround, but we will be prepared Thursday.”
On how he feels about his performance:“I did some good things out there, but I definitely have things I can improve upon in a lot of areas. I’m still learning, still growing, but I am ready to come back tomorrow and look at the film and get ready for Thursday.”
On Diondre Overton’s long touchdown:“I was just as excited for him like I caught the ball. He is my boy.”
CLEMSON PLAYER QUOTES – DEFENSE
Clelin Ferrell, DE
Overall thoughts:“We just wanted to play a clean and complete game. So basically, we just focused on technique and stuff like that. We knew we had to play hard because they were going to try and give it their best shot, but trying to have a clean and complete game was our biggest thing.”
On preparing for Georgia Tech’s offense:“We put in work over the summer and in fall camp. But we had a plan to be ready for them, and we have to buy into the plan. It’s a quick turnaround, but we know a lot of stuff that they do that’s uncommon to a lot of guys. A lot of guys might be down there starting against the triple option for the first time. But we have a good plan for it. We trust our coaches, and we have to buy into the plan.”
On young defensive players getting quality playing time:“We played a lot of guys. That was really good for us…some of the guys who play behind (the starters) getting experience like that. We do have a lot of young guys on our whole defense, so that was very big for us, getting everybody to play. That was good.”
On his first sack:“It was fun getting my first sack today. That was big for me. The biggest difference was I just went out there playing to win, not focusing on getting a sack or making tackles or making plays…just playing to win. If you did, then those things will come to you.”
Jalen Williams, LB
On getting a defensive shutout:“It’s always good. That’s the ultimate goal every day, to get a shutout.”
On how the defense approached the game:“We prepare the same way. We don’t care if it’s Auburn or if it’s SC State. Same practice schedule. We still watch film on them. We practice just as hard with full pads. We don’t take them any different than who they are.”
On the team’s outlook heading into conference play:“We’re confident. Why wouldn’t we be? We’re 3-0. We played a good game, pitched a shutout. And, now, SC State is out of our head, and we’re going to be back in here tomorrow, watching film on Georgia Tech.”
December 8, 2024
