Dabo Swinney On Playing Notre Dame: ‘This Is College Football At Its Best’
Dabo Swinney is a man of many words. He’s upbeat, a little blunt and, at times, prickly.
At his weekly Tuesday press conference, the Clemson head coach and two-time national champion gushed about what he saw on tape from the 2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish and expressed his excitement for the opportunity to play a fellow top-five opponent.
“We’re super excited about this opportunity this week,” Swinney said. “This is college football at its best. Two top-five teams. When you sit down and start breaking this thing down, it’s about what you’d expect with two top-five teams. A bunch of really good players on both sides and this is again — a very small margin of error type of game.
“We’ll have to play better for sure and cut out some of the mistakes that we’ve had, especially giving up some points to the other team. It’s fun. It’s a great matchup.”
Of course, this could be one of the few opportunities either program has to play a ranked opponent. Clemson defeated Miami 42-17 on Oct. 10. The Hurricanes are currently No. 11 in the Associated Press poll.
But outside of that matchup, neither are scheduled to face another opponent that was ranked in the most recent edition of the poll, which only underscores the importance of this game for both teams.
In addition to the matchup, Swinney is excited to experience the college football history and tradition in South Bend, which he has never been to before. Even with the extra COVID-19 safety protocols, he said he and his team will take the time to see Notre Dame Stadium when the team arrives on Friday.
“When we go to certain places that we haven’t been to, we usually swing by the stadium and check it out,” Swinney said. “We don’t typically do that if it’s a place we play a lot. Usually when we go to Syracuse, for example, because that’s a really unique setting and if we have a bunch of guys who haven’t been there, we typically will stop by there because that’s different.
“If we’re going somewhere we have never been, we usually swing by and walk around a little bit. We definitely will do that because not many people on our team have been there. I look forward to that. As far as Touchdown Jesus, I'm just excited to see it.”
Notre Dame Offense
It should come as no surprise that in talking about the Notre Dame offense, the Clemson head coach was quick to praise the offensive line, which seems to be a front-runner for the Joe Moore Award (annually given to the nation’s best offensive line) early in the season.
“Notre Dame is ranked No. 4 for a reason and is incredibly well-coached and disciplined,” Swinney said. “Offensively, it starts with their offensive line. They’re massive. These guys are huge. They are all returning starters [with] incredible experience.”
But he also made sure to note how special the Notre Dame tight ends are, which allows the team to create problems with its various personnel groups, including three tight ends on the field at one time.
“They are built to run the football,” Swinney said. “They’ve got three really good backs. They’ve all made plays, both in the run and the passing game. Again, it all starts with the guys up front.”
But for as good as the Notre Dame offensive line is, Fighting Irish fans know this game likely comes down to fifth-year senior quarterback Ian Book making big plays and limiting his mistakes. Clemson will likely challenge him to make throws down the field and try to keep him in the pocket.
Will he be able to answer the bell? We will find out on Saturday, but Swinney noticed immense growth from Book since Notre Dame and Clemson played in the Cotton Bowl in 2018.
“His instincts have always been really good, but his savviness is even better. He knows when to run, he knows how to extend plays,” Swinney said. “His arm, he’s really 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 that have success as they go through.
“He has seen a lot. He won’t be overwhelmed. He’s a very good player.”
Notre Dame Defense
The 2018 Clemson team that won the national championship and defeated Notre Dame 30-3 in the Cotton Bowl was loaded with offensive talent, but what made that team special was its defense.
While Clemson is certainly a top-tier defensive team in college, this may be an area where Notre Dame actually has the upper hand. According to advanced metrics such as ESPN SP+, the Fighting Irish have the No. 8-rated defense in the country while the Tigers are at No. 10.
“Defensively, these guys are as good as you’re going to see," Swinney said of Notre Dame. “These are unbelievable, talented guys up front. The 'backers are fast, physical and smart. One of the best safeties you’ll see in the country in [Kyle Hamilton]. Both of these corners have a lot of experience. Really good players.
“It’s just a complete team in every facet, but again, that’s what you’d expect when you see a team that is ranked fourth in the country. It’s going to be awesome. It’s going to be an exciting matchup.”
When prompted, Swinney offered more praise for Hamilton, even comparing the 6-4 safety to one of his best former defensive players who was a unanimous All-American in 2019, before going eighth overall in the NFL Draft.
“He’s long. He’s an Isaiah Simmons-type of guy," Swinney said. “He’s really, really long, athletic, can do a lot of different things back there. He’s a very smart, knowledgeable player. He’s rarely out of position. He can play the ball well. He’s physical. He’s fast. He moves well. The guy is a big kid.”
Hamilton is the type of transcendent talent that could give Notre Dame an advantage, especially when it comes to limiting the big plays that hurt them two years ago.
In 2018, Clemson defeated Notre Dame with a 27-point margin, but it was a few chunk gains at the end of the second quarter that broke the game open. This Tigers team likely won’t be as good as the 2018 version, whereas Notre Dame is just as good in Swinney’s eyes, if not better.
“That particular game, it was a few big plays,” he said. “We were fortunate enough to win the game, but Notre Dame is excellent. When was that, 2018? How many games have they lost since then? They don’t lose very much. I know that.
“They are the fourth-ranked team in the country for a reason. They have earned it, not just this year but all the way back. Brian [Kelly] has done an awesome job. They are incredibly consistent as a program and they believe in what they do and how they do it. They’ve just won.”
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