Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney spoke to reporters at his weekly press conference on Tuesday. He shared his thoughts on the Tigers’ Textile Bowl rivalry with NC State, injury updates, and more.
The Tigers (2-1) will face the Wolfpack (2-1) at noon ET Saturday in the ACC opener for both teams. The game can be seen on ABC.
Clemson is ranked No. 19 in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll after a bounce-back win over Appalachian State before the team’s Week 3 bye. NC State entered the season ranked No. 22 but fell out of the polls after a 51-10 loss to No. 7 Tennessee in Week 2 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
The Wolfpack beat Louisiana Tech, 30-20, last Saturday in Raleigh.
“This is a big game for both teams as we get into conference play and that’s really what it’s all about,” Swinney said during his opening remarks. “We’ve got eight straight conference games coming up, so every week is a huge opportunity starting with this one.”
“NC State’s a good football team,” Swinney added. “They’re undefeated in the league so this is their first one, as well. It’s a big rivalry game every year. It’s been around a long time. Nobody really talks about the Textile Bowl anymore, but it’s still out there and it means a lot to a lot of people on both sides. This is a very experienced football team that we’re getting ready to play.”
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Clemson’s rivalry with NC State dates back to the end of the 19th century, with the Tigers holding a 60-30-1 lead in the all-time series. Dave Doeren’s Wolfpack have won two of the last three meetings. Before then, Clemson had won eight straight matchups from 2012-19, and 15 of 16 beginning in 2004 under then-coach Tommy Bowden.
While NC State hasn’t won in Death Valley since 2002, Swinney was quick to dismiss the Tigers’ overall success against the Wolfpack under his watch; he’s 11-3 as head coach vs. NC State.
“I’ve been in a bunch of these. None of that stuff (about the past) matters. We just need to win the game. None of that matters Saturday when you kick it off. That’s the only thing that matters — how you do this week,” Swinney said.
On the injury front, Swinney was tight-lipped when asked about star defensive tackle Peter Woods, who he repeated as still being “day-to-day.” Woods was injured on a chop block in the first half against App State.
“Every day that ends in ‘Y,’ he’s day-to-day,” Swinney said with a grin. “He’s been at practice. Hasn’t missed one yet. He’s been there every day grinding, working. He stayed here all weekend just continuing to work on his rehab.”
On the subject of a more longterm injury, Swinney revealed that junior offensive lineman Dietrick Pennington would miss the remainder of the year because of an ACL injury.
“It wasn’t a full tear, but they said they’ve got to repair it anyway because of the type of injury,” he said. “I hate that for him, I really do. That’s a tough loss for us, but longterm we’ll try to get the year back and see if we can reset with him.”
RELATED: Swinney shares an injury update on Clemson wide receiver Tyler Brown
Here’s everything Swinney said at his weekly press conference.
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