CUTrevor
2019-11-02 18:22:54
TIGERS WIN 59-14!!! They scored TD's on 8 of their first 9 possessions and have scored 45 points or more in 4 straight games for the first time ever. 702 yards of total offense, and that was basically in less than 3 quarters! They could have scored 100 today if they wanted to. The defense has allowed less than 300 total yards in all 9 games this season. First team to do that since Alabama in 2011! I'll have Dabo's PC and coach/player interviews posted in a bit! |
CUTrevor
2019-11-02 20:19:29
GAME NOTES
WITH THE WIN...
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CUTrevor
2019-11-02 20:36:59
CLEMSON HEAD COACH DABO SWINNEY Opening statement: “I’m certainly proud of our guys. Obviously, Wofford’s a team that didn’t matchup with us on paper. But I’ve been in a lot of those games over the years, and you’ve still got to play well. I’m proud of our team. We had great energy and played well the whole game. We were incredibly efficient. The offense set the tone for us out of the gate. That’s four games in a row we’ve played really well.” On Clemson’s offensive performance: “Today was a day a lot of history was made. I’m super proud of our offense. That’s back-to-back games with no turnovers. We picked up 702 yards. That’s also back to-back games with over 600 yards of offense. This program has never scored 45 or more points four games in a row before today, too, so a lot of amazing things happened. It’s pretty remarkable what this group has done, especially when you talk about rushing the ball and spreading the ball around.” On Travis Etienne and Trevor Lawrence: “Trevor’s efficiency rating is higher now than it was at this time last year. We rushed for 419 yards. Etienne has set the tone for us for the last month. You think about all the great running backs who have come through here, and, today, he broke the school record for career rushing touchdowns. I’m really proud of Travis, and he’s got a lot more left. He’s been a joy to coach.” On the Tigers’ defense: “Defensively, we also made some history. That’s nine games in a row of holding opponents to less than 300 yards. And that’s happened only twice in 20 years, and that’s incredible to do in today’s world of college football. I’m really proud of how consistent our defense has been all year long.” CLEMSON CO-OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR JEFF SCOTT Opening statement: “Obviously very proud of our guys. Over the last four weeks we have played very well. Like Coach Swinney talks about all the time, we are entering our championship phase during November. It’s all about improving and getting better, and I feel like our guys did that. On turnovers and the offensive line: “A really proud two games back-to-back with no turnovers. Last week was the first game all year where we did not have any turnovers, so to do that back-to-back was big. No sacks, 419 yards rushing, our offensive line is playing some really good ball. Our offensive guys in general are not worried about anything.” On facing Wofford: “These are the kind of games where physically, you have a big advantage versus your opponent. These are the types of games where you can tell a lot about the mentality of your team. I’ve been here long enough. I can remember playing this group in 2011 where we went in there at halftime close to a tie game. That was a very talented offense as well. It did not matter who we were playing today. Our guys were ready to go.” On Travis Etienne breaking Clemson records: “I am very happy for Travis breaking the Clemson rushing record for touchdowns. He has been outstanding, and he has the most 200-yard games at Clemson. Hopefully he tied the overall touchdown record.” On Trevor Lawrence and the receivers “Trevor has four games in a row with three touchdown passes, which has not been done since 2012. To have a few poor throws in the beginning of the year with all the talk out there nationally, it is not surprising he had four games in a row with four touchdown passes. He played very well today. I am really proud of where we are there. I thought it was big for all three wide receivers getting in the endzone.” CLEMSON CO-OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR TONY ELLIOTT Opening statement: On Travis Etienne’s record-breaking performance: “I’m just really proud of him. He’s such a humble guy. I’m not a big fan of people deserving things, but if there’s anyone who deserves this, it’s Travis. He always deflects the attention, making it about his offensive line and his teammates. He’s got the ability to do it and it’s refreshing to see a young man who puts the work in and is able to achieve what he can.” On deserving versus earning: “Often we feel like we deserve more than we really work to earn, so my word is earn. Go out and earn it, because life isn’t fair and you’re not always going to get what you feel like you deserve. At the end of the day you will get what you earn, whatever work you put in, you will get the appropriate reward. It may not be what you want, but at the end of the day you can feel good about it.” On playing starters: “Wofford is not an easy team to prepare for. They’re one of the best teams in the FCS and they pose some challenges with their structure. The biggest thing for us is coming out and playing clean, no matter who that’s against. I thought the first halves of these past two games have been about as clean as we could be. The big challenge was coming out in the second half and challenging these guys to respond better than we did in the previous week. The biggest thing for us is being in ‘Championship Phase.’ It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, it’s about how we play. When guys take care of business then we have the flexibility to play some other guys.” CLEMSON DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR BRENT VENABLES Opening statement: “First half I thought our guys came ready to play. We were totally dominant and squeezed the life out of them. That’s as good of a performance as we’ve had in the first half. I'm really proud of our guys. They displayed the right mindset, the preparation, the discipline and the fundamentals for the most part of four quarters tonight. All of our guys did a great job. The discipline is really going to pay off for us moving forward as teams continue to challenge us in different ways. It’s really great for us to continue to grow.” On Xavier Thomas: “We got other good players and we’ve played really well in our three games without him. Hopefully he’s healthy and can get back into the rotation, but those guys have really answered the bell and continued to improve and make plays.” On Logan Rudolph’s improvement: “He’s been good all year. Sometimes the plays are there and sometimes they aren’t, so he does a lot of the dirty work. He’s exactly who we thought he was going into the year. He’s one of our most consistent guys at that position. He plays with incredible effort and toughness within the framework of our defense. Tonight he had a lot of opportunities...He’s a great example of what hard work looks like and realizing the fruits of your labor.” CLEMSON RUNNING BACK TRAVIS ETIENNE On running the ball today: “I thought it was great. Give the offensive line some credit for opening up some holes. There were a couple of plays at the beginning where I felt like I could have gotten a little bit more. I feel like I can definitely get better from today. Again, credit the offensive line and the receivers. They did a great job blocking down the field. Tee, Jones, and all the receivers were great blocking down the field.” On setting records: “It is really great, but it is not just because of me. It is because of the team, the guys I have around me, the receivers that I have. The great receivers are willing to do it all, and Trevor too. I am thankful for all those guys to be out there. I would not be in this position to have all these records and accomplishments. I would like to think that.” On knowing about breaking records: “I knew about the James Davis one, but about the other ones, no, not really. It is special to be amongst those guys. I would like to thank God first, and my teammates because if it was not for them, I would not be here.” On taking his game to a new level “Oh, most definitely. I feel like I can always improve and get better each and every game. Just working on the little details helps each and every week by watching film to see what I really messed up on. CLEMSON WIDE RECEIVER TEE HIGGINS On today’s game: “We came in with the same mindset for any other team. We come in and dominate, just like we did tonight.” On “Championship Phase”: “It’s ‘Championship Phase’ now. We always have the mindset that we have to play better at this phase in the season, so we just go out there and ball out... We just keep being Clemson, practicing well, and executing the plan.” On his performance: “My goal is to never drop a pass. If I do that’s my fault, not the quarterback’s fault. I just go in with the same mindset to catch every ball.” On Travis Etienne: “Freshman year I thought he was a walk on when he showed up smiling with his braces. After that our bond got closer and closer. He’s extremely humble. After the game he gave a speech saying how he would not be able to do it without his offensive linemen and receivers blocking out there for him. He’s just really humble.” CLEMSON QB TREVOR LAWRENCE On today’s game: “It’s exactly how we wanted to start the game. It was similar to last week, we just want to keep that momentum. Like Coach Swinney always says, our best defense is a good offense. We just want to help our defense out and we’ve played really well the past few weeks.” On the offensive rhythm: “Last year we finished really strong, so it’s similar to how we were playing last year at this time. That’s just our main goal all season, to be playing our best and hopefully getting better every week.” On Travis Etienne: “It’s awesome to see him be successful. He’s a great player and he puts in a lot of work, so to see that be shown is great. It’s great playing with him.” On how you respond to criticism: “We remember all the criticism like it was yesterday, but all of that stuff doesn’t really matter. It’s about getting better every week and then seeing where we are at the end of the season. It doesn’t really matter where we were five weeks ago, it’s about where we are at the end of the season and how well we’re playing then. We’re just going to keep getting better every week.” |
CUTrevor
2019-11-02 20:47:25
CLEMSON LB ISAIAH SIMMONS On team’s defensive discipline: “It was just a test of our discipline. That’s the biggest thing about it. We saw how disciplined we are as a team. If one person does something wrong then they could make a huge gain. That’s the biggest thing in facing a team like Wofford.” On his interception: “I was talking to my dad before the game and he told me to get an interception today. I told him that they don’t really throw the ball too much, so I don’t know if I can do that, but things happen. It was a gift from God. I don’t know how they didn’t see me, but I’m happy they didn’t. Everyone said that if I had run up the sideline I would have scored, but I didn’t see that.” CLEMSON QUARTERBACK CHASE BRICE On his completion percentage: “It was just sticking to the plan. We had a good plan coming into the game and a great week of practice, so we came back from last week building off that momentum. We want to give our guys a chance. We know if we put the ball in the air, our guys will go get it and make plays after the catch.” On the offense’s efficiency: “It helps, obviously, our defense giving us that cushion. Every drive we are going in and trying to put points on the board. Giving them that comfort that if they do slip up or a big play does happen, they can rely on us to put up points. It’s just being efficient and I think we’re doing a great job.” On next week's game: “We’re just going to do what we’ve been doing the past three or four games and that’s just starting out fast. We’re going to try to get the ball into our playmakers hands and let them play. We are just going to do our job and be efficient.” On his mentality: “I’m going to be prepared no matter what, no matter how many snaps it is. When I go in I want to do well. I really want to be prepared well enough to look like I’m a starter. That’s how I’ve got to prepare and that’s how all of us prepare.” CLEMSON LINEBACKER JAKE VENABLES On having fun and being comfortable on the field: “It was a ton of fun. It is a lot slower out on the field than it is in practice, so that’s good. On connection with Baylon (Spector) and being Clemson’s future: “Baylon is like a brother to me. It is a lot of fun being out there at the same time. I could definitely see us playing in the future.” On playing for his dad and spending time off the field: “It has been fun, what I expected. He has been just as hard on me now as when I was growing up. I am getting used to it, and it is slowing down for me. He (Brent Venables) was telling us about my brother winning the regional championship last night. My brother was not very happy with himself about the way he played, so my dad was out there watching game film to calm him down a little bit.” CLEMSON LINEBACKER BAYLON SPECTOR On knowing about getting snaps today: “Just to have the opportunity to come out there, the chance to play and do your thing is a great opportunity. Everybody prepared the same. We prepare the same every week. It is a great opportunity to get better for everybody.” On being counted as a starter: “Prepare the same every week. Try to put in extra time, and watch film every week. I do whatever I can to become a better player and person all around the field and off the field.” On knowing Wofford would run: “It was fun. It was definitely all option all game.They did a lot of good things. We still need to get out there to prepare to play against that type of offense.” On improving as a linebacker at Clemson: “I would say the number one thing is knowledge. Learning to watch tape the correct way, and what is going on around you. Learning how to call the defense gets better and better over time. Preparing, reading your keys, and doing your job. We always talk about doing your 111 and play within the defense. Do your thing, read the right things, and be in the right spot. Be where you are supposed to be and things should work out.” WOFFORD HEAD COACH JOSH CONKLIN On the team continuing to play hard in the second half: “Yeah, I mean we’re gonna fight, you know, our guys...that’s what we’re made of. I was excited just to see the way they kind of responded and just kept executing and… you know, anytime you face good competition it’ll help you I think as you move down the road.” On what it was like for the team to play in front of 80,000 fans: “Yeah, I mean, we didn’t expect anything really, coming in here. I mean we just wanted to play and execute and see if we could stay with them for awhile, which we couldn’t, and we were just kind of disappointed in our execution in the first half, but I think we responded in the right way after halftime.” On what his message was to the team in the locker room: “Well, we gotta get healed up a little bit, I mean, we got, we’re banged up. Um, you know, we’re beat up... They’re a good football team, and they’re big and they’re physical, so we’ve gotta get healthy, and we’ve got to get ready to get back into it next week.” On if it is encouraging to know that all the team’s goals are in front of them: “That’s exactly right, yeah, that’s exactly right.” On the way his team continued to battle: “I thought they played well, the second half, they played better [in] the second half. Executed well, better than they did the first half, which is what we wanted to see. I mean that’s what we’re made of...we’re fighters, that’s what we’re wanna do.” |
CUTrevor
2019-11-02 20:59:24
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