Media Question: With what your program has done, Coach Swinney, obviously the wins you guys have had in recent years, when you think about that 2016 Semifinal against Ohio State, winning that game didn’t win you a national title. But how would you fit that 31-0 win into this era of Clemson football and maybe did it play any kind of important role in you guys proving to yourselves what kind of program Clemson could be?
COACH SWINNEY: I think we already knew who we were. We had a lot of success prior to 2015 — or 2016. Obviously in 2016 played for the national championship out there in Arizona. We were able to take the next step in the playoff and get back to the national championship game to have a chance to beat Alabama. But we made big plays. We were able to capitalize with a few big plays. That game just got us back to the national championship for back-to-back years.
Media Question: There’s always a lot of talk this time of year of this playoff possibly one day getting bigger. I’m wondering what you think of the idea, if you were in a position now where you might have to play three more games, how do you think — including one two weeks from now, how do you think your team would be able to handle that?
COACH DAY: I think it’s definitely something we should consider, not that it would be easy to play three more games. But I definitely think that we should consider taking the conference champs in the Power 5 programs. I just think that’s a cleaner way to do it. I know there’s certain issues we would have to work through, not that now is the time to focus on those type of questions and thoughts. It’s now time to just get ready for the game. In the off-season, I think it’s definitely something we should continue to talk about.
Media Question: This question is for Coach Day. I’m curious, Coach Swinney gave us a pretty good scouting report of your squad. I’m curious what you’ve seen when you watch Clemson.
COACH DAY: Well, first off, you see a tremendous amount of talent. On the offensive side, Trevor Lawrence is as good a quarterback as there is in the country, and he’s been on the biggest stages and obviously one of the winningest quarterbacks that will go down in the history of college football
when it’s all said and done. Etienne is as good a running back as there is in the country.
And then those receivers, Higgins and Ross and those guys are just dynamic on the perimeter. And they stretch you out a lot of different ways on offense, and they do a great job of it. They’re sound, but they also stretch you out by making you defend the entire field.
And then on defense, very, very difficult to prepare for multiple fronts, multiple blitzes. I think Brent Venables does as good as anybody in the country. Again, very talented, but he’s schematically very sound and they get those guys to play really, really hard.
Media Question: Coach, of the two squads, you guys have had the more difficult schedule. How does big-game experience factor in? How do you imagine that will help you going forward?
COACH DAY: Well, I think both teams played in big games. You don’t go to Ohio State or Clemson without playing in big games. That’s just kind of how it goes. So I don’t think the stage will be too big for either side. And our guys and certainly Clemson’s guys have played in this arena before. So I don’t think that will factor in.
Media Question: For Dabo, have you seen emphasis in the past where experience in the postseason has been a benefit for either individual players or, I guess, for the program as a whole when you go into the next year’s postseason?
COACH SWINNEY: It worked out pretty good for us. I think it just comes down to who plays the best.