Dabo Swinney: Lawson out, Denson evaluation, underclassmen, DE rotation, LaNorris Sellers, Gamecocks

CLEMSON — Sunday evening Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney again addressed members of the media during his weekly teleconference after his coaching staff took a closer look at the Tigers’ win over Furman during Sunday’s film review.

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The following is an abbreviated transcript of Sunday evening’s teleconference.

Opening Statements

“Good evening everybody. I’m proud of our guys. I thought our ones played well on both sides of the ball. We scored a lot of points and got things going in the first quarter. That was a real positive. Too many penalties, too many mistakes. Cade had the one sack on him that … he just made a dumb play. 200-200 offensively and we got a bunch of guys who played. Did not turn the ball over and took it away twice. We got a bunch of young guys in and got some things on tape we can evaluate.

“Olsen will have surgery tomorrow and be out. Jahiem will be out and have surgery on his ankle. Those guys will be back in the spring. Jahiem will be ready to go for spring time, but it’s another tough couple of losses for us.

“I’m proud of the team. We want to have a great week of preparation ahead of South Carolina. I look forward to diving into them and their team as we get preparation rolling today.”

Question: Who steps up at defensive end now?

SWINNEY: “We have the three main guys with Denhoff, TJ and Will. They’ve done a nice job for us all year. The next guy up for us would be Darien Mayo. We did get Ari Watford (in yesterday). He just got cleared to play. Caden Story and Mayo would be the two main (additional) guys from a depth standpoint.”

Question: Looking at short yardage situations last night, even with your first-string offensive line, you struggled again. What do you do to get that going this week?

SWINNEY: “We just busted on the fourth and one. That was there. We made an out call and we didn’t out it. That was more of our tight end than our OL. We should have easily got that. Just got to keep working, man. Got to keep working at what we do.”

Question: You said last night that Jaheim came in (the game) and he shouldn’t have …

SWINNEY: “I had said let’s get all those guys out. He went in on a third and nine. I didn’t notice him out there until he was down. That’s football. You can get hurt on any play. That’s the game. Just unfortunate.”

Question: You mentioned a lot of the younger guys. Who are some of those players who stood out to you on film?

SWINNEY: “Ian Reed really hasn’t played much but there were some things on tape where athletically the way he moved and the way he recovered a couple of times was good to see. Ronan O’Connell and Gavin Blanchard got in there. Chapman Pendergrass got in there at center. I was encouraged. Mason Wade got some good reps. They all did a pretty good job with their assignments. We had some technique things we can do better.

“Eziomume got more opportunities and finished with a productive day, so that was a positive. Logan Brooking is another one of those young guys. Obviously Denson. Champ Thompson is a guy who flashes. Mayo has some flashes. He has a chance to be a good player as he puts it all together. A couple of those backers … Jeremiah Alexander isn’t a young player but he gets better every week. We played a bunch of guys at safety. We have a lot of improving to do, but there were several of those. young guys who flashed.”

Question: Have you had a chance to take a look at South Carolina yet? They’re probably better than their record.

SWINNEY: “Oh for sure. They’ve been in every game. They’re a good team. Things haven’t gone their way in some games, but they’ve been in position all year. They’re a talented team. They beat us last year. We had an opportunity and didn’t finish the game. That quarterback is still there and he’s a great player. I have a lot of respect for him, his toughness and his overall game. He was absolutely the difference. As long as he’s there, they’ve got a chance in every game. They’re a few plays away from having a great season. And the same for us, honestly. South Carolina, though, is a good team.”

Question: The last two games in this series the opposing team has won and planted a flag at midfield. I know you and Shane have talked about that in the past. Have you discussed it recently?

SWINNEY: “I hope we get the opportunity to be better. We talked about that last year. That’s something that does not need to happen. We don’t need to disrespect the other team’s logo. Win the game and do it with class. All that stuff … we need to do everything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen when you’re at the opposing team’s stadium.”

Question: Seems like they still have some disruptive guys on the defensive front despite some losses off last year’s team.

SWINNEY: “Oh yeah. Yeah. They’re really good. Those two ends are special players and they’re good inside. They’re a team that could have won any game they’ve played. I have a lot of respect for them.”

Question: Looking at Garrett and Cade, you’ve scored just 16 points in 2023 and then 14 last year in this series. How do you work to fix that this time around?

SWINNEY: “We’re just trying to have a good practice tomorrow, fellas. I’m not worried about last year or other year before. I want us to have a good week of practice and do everything we can to have one more point, whether it’s 3-2 or whatever.”

Question: Your thoughts on Denson after watching him?

SWINNEY: “He did what we’ve seen him do all the time. He’s a natural runner and very gifted. He’s elusive and explosive with the ball in his hands. We were in a situation where we were able to call a few run plays. We didn’t ask him to do much outside of that. He threw a couple of screens. He’s a smart kid. He’s just has to develop. He has to develop as a quarterback.

“It’s a big spring ahead. That’s why we recruited him. What y’all saw yesterday is why we recruited him. This is a dynamic player that if he can develop, he could be a great quarterback. That’s what we’ve been in the process of since he got here. We knew for sure he was going to redshirt. It was good to get him some experience and confidence yesterday.”

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Question: What does he need to do between now and the summer to improve?

SWINNEY: “Just the totality of the passing game. He’s still a maturing passer. He’s made huge strides from when he first got here. It’s the totality of playing quarterback. He can do all the things as a runner but he’s got to be an elite passer, too. We felt like he could be when we signed him. What you don’t know when you’re recruiting them is how are they mentally and how they’ll take things. He really understands the game. He’s got good instincts. He’s coming from a background where he ran around a lot and wasn’t asked to do a whole lot. We’re excited about his potential.”

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