Dabo Sees Small Margin For Error Against Notre Dame
Clemson is “super excited” for Saturday’s showdown in South Bend with Notre Dame, according to head coach Dabo Swinney.
“This is College Football at its best; two Top 5 teams,” Swinney said during a call with reporters on Tuesday afternoon. “When you sit down and start breaking this thing down, it’s about what you would think with two Top 5 teams; a bunch of really good players on both sides.”
Swinney said there’s a reason the Irish are ranked #4.
“They’re incredibly well-coached, discipline,” said Swinney. “They play extremely hard.”
It was no surprise that Swinney pointed to Notre Dame’s offensive line first.
“They’re massive,” he said. “These guys are huge. They’re all returning starters, incredible experience.
“They’re built to run the football, they’ve got three really good backs. They’ve all made big plays in both the run game and the passing game. Again, it all starts with the guys up front.”
Swinney believes Irish quarterback Ian Book has improved “quite a bit” since he last faced him in the College Football Playoff following the 2018 season.
“And I thought he was pretty good then,” said Swinney, who compared Book’s ownership of the offense to his own All-American quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
“His instincts have always been really good, but his savviness is even better. He knows when to run, he knows how to extend plays. His arm, he’s very confident in his arm. The game has slowed down for him, just like it does for every young player as they go through their career, especially those who have success. He’s seen a lot, he won’t be overwhelmed. He’s a very good player.”
Swinney called Notre Dame’s collection of talent at tight end “special.”
“Big, physical guys that they use a lot a lot of different ways,” said Swinney.
The different personnel groupings, formations and shifts the Irish have featured with their tight ends cause gameplanning problems, according to Swinney.
The emergences of Javon McKinley, Ben Skowronek and Avery Davis at receiver have caught Swinney’s eye.
“All of these guys are really coming on and making some plays for them,” he said.
Swinney said the Notre Dame defenders are “as good as you’re going to see,” led by safety Kyle Hamilton.
“They have some unbelievably talented guys up front, backers who are fast, physical and smart,” he said. “They have one of the best safeties that you’re going to see in the country in #14.”
Swinney compared Hamilton to one of the best defenders Clemson has seen in recent years.
“I mean, he’s an Isaiah Simmons type of guy,” said Swinney, referring to the hybrid defender who was taken with the 8th pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.
“He’s really, really long, athletic. He can do a lot of different things back there. He’s very smart, knowledgeable player, rarely out of position. He can play the ball well, he’s physical, he’s fast, he moves well. He’s a big kid, he’s 6-4. He’s just a really, really good football player who can cover a lot of ground.”
Swinney also pointed to the experience of the other players in the secondary.
In the front seven, he pointed out that the Irish have been able to get enough pressure with their defensive linemen that they haven’t needed to manufacture much.
“They’re not a huge blitz team,” he said. “I think they’re somewhere 30 and 35 percent. They have not had to pressure a ton.
“Those guys up front have been able to get it done.”
According to Swinney, the challenges Notre Dame presents mean Clemson’s margin for error will be “very small.”
“I know we’ll have to play better for sure and cut out some of the mistakes we’ve had,” he said.
He gave credit to Brian Kelly and his staff as well.
“They’re really well-coached, very well-coordinated,” said Swinney. “They don’t just have good players, they’re very well-coached.
“It’s just a complete team in every facet, but again, that’s what you would expect when you see a team that’s ranked 4th in the country. It’s going to be awesome. It’s going to be an exciting matchup.”