Top ranked Clemson takes on Virginia Saturday night at Death Valley in a rematch of last year’s ACC Championshp game won by the Tigers 62-17. The Cavaliers have lost their outstanding quarterback Bryce Perkins from that team, but they return 15 other starters, and new quarterback Brennan Armstrong had a good game last Saturday in the win over Duke.
After winning the first 29 games in this series, the Tigers have been battled on basically even terms by the Cavaliers with Clemson winning 10 of the last 19 with 1 tie. But the Cavaliers haven’t beaten the Tigers since 2004. Clemson is favored by 28.
At his Tuesday press conference, coach Dabo Swinney previewed the game and updated his team coming off an open date.
Some of Swinney’s key comments:
- Virginia is a good team, Mendenhall has done a good job, one of the more experienced teams out there, lots of guys back on offense including Armstrong the QB. He’s a challenge, a problem, really good player. Young Steve Young running around.
- Virginia has length at tight end and receiver, slot receiver is very good. Taken some transfers who are good. In last year’s game Virginia did lots of good things against them including 10-13 on third down.
- Virginia does a good job on defense with 8 starters back, big up front, know what they are doing throughout the defense.
- Team is in a good place health-wise, everyone he expected to be playing are practicing, first time in a long time they’ve had everybody on the field, had good test results last week. Foster and Orhorhoro remain out.
- Virginia looks a little thicker up front on defense than last year, they get their hands up and knock down balls, they do a good job with their twist game.
- They didn’t recruit Virginia frshman receiver Lavel Davis Jr. out of Woodland because they were already locked in on other receivers. Davis was impressive in win over Duke.
- He never announced any discipline action towards Kendrick and everything is fine with him. Said he doesn’t know where iinformatino that Kendrick was in his dog house came from.
- He doesn’t like social justice messages on the uniforms because he’s a traditionalist when it comes to a uniform look, doesn’t like the look changed, but he supports his players with some of their messages, but not messages for political organizations. Said he doesn’t support any one political party and he doesn’t want a political momement represented on their uniforms.
Dabo Swinney press conference previewing Virginia
