Dabo Swinney addresses South Carolina, Black Friday kickoff decision

Dabo Swinney addresses South Carolina, Black Friday kickoff decision

Grayson Mann by Correspondent -

A season of its own. The Palmetto Bowl presents a plethora of storylines as the rival Gamecocks travel to Clemson next Saturday. Dabo Swinney addressed the media for the first time heading into rivalry weekend, breaking down the Gamecocks’ success, the decision on whether to move the game to Black Friday, and much more. Here’s what we learned. On Injuries: Swinney says it looks like the Tigers are turning the corner on injuries. He believes R.J. Mickens and Jake Briningstool will be ready to roll for Saturday, holding both back against the FCS Bulldogs. Swinney added Tyler Venables will be limited this week. He did not provide an update on Marcus Tate or Tristan Leigh specifically, but said he hopes to get linemen back and that they are trending in the right direction. Tate dressed for The Citadel but did not play Saturday afternoon. On why The Palmetto Bowl did not shift to Black Friday: One of the raging topics of the offseason was the discussion of switching Clemson and South Carolina to Black Friday, as requested by ESPN and the ACC. Clemson said no, leading us to next Saturday's noon kick. Here are Swinney’s comments on the decision: “It's what's best for the community here,” Swinney said. “This is a small town. This is not some big city. This is a small town, and we have a lot of businesses that depend on these game days. And then it affects your recruiting opportunity for people to get here and it affects our students. So there's a layer a lot of reasons, and that's really the biggest thing. I mean, our kids go home for Thanksgiving, and so they get a chance to travel back on Friday and create a great environment and atmosphere for us on Saturday as opposed to having to leave on Thanksgiving Day and not be with their families if they want to come back and go to the game. So there's a lot of reasons, but one of the main reasons to me is it's what's best for this community and it's what's best for our program when it comes to recruiting and getting people here and all those things. "There's a lot of kids that we're recruiting that they're playing on Friday, they're playing in playoff games, so now they can't come to our game. So we want 'em to have the opportunity to come to one of the biggest games going on in the country and they can't come to it if they're playing in their game as well. So there's a lot of reasons on why, but that's just a few of them.” On Execution Versus The Citadel: Dabo Swinney reiterated that the product put on the field against the FCS Bulldogs was not perfect. After reviewing the tape, his initial opinions were confirmed. He believes the team could have handled the option offense better, criticizing the lack of fundamental football against that type of offense. The Citadel rushed for a season-high 288 yards against the Tiger defense. He felt like the Avieon Terrell forced fumble and Payton Page’s pick six were truly “special plays,” becoming the easy standouts of the afternoon. On National Stakes: Swinney may or may not have tuned into his YouTube TV multiview to learn several teams in the top 18 fell short of victory on Saturday night. Not only did those losses generate more importance for the playoff race, but they also raised the stakes of the Palmetto Bowl on Saturday. As far as Swinney’s approach is concerned, he’s aware of what is in front of his team but is keeping the course. “Yeah, really the same that it's been all year really since Georgia, just focus on what you control every week is a playoff game,” Swinney said. “That's the mindset that we must embrace and focus on what, again, the moment you're in and make every game the biggest game of the year. That's what we've tried to do all year. I wish we were ten and one, but we had worked the door nine and two, but we put ourselves in position to, and we've got two, I don't know what will be ranked, but two, I don't know, probably top 15 teams that are, it'd probably be the highest ranked rivalry game in the country. So it's exciting to be a part of that. Certainly opportunity. If you win the game, it creates a lot of post-season opportunities for you. So it's really no different in that we have been playing football every single week. And so really no difference this week.” On South Carolina’s Improvements: Dabo Swinney took plenty of time within his Sunday teleconference to praise Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks on the job they have done this season. He focused on the development of LaNorris Sellers and his impact on the offense. He compared the young quarterback to Cade Klubnik, especially when comparing the two’s ability to make plays with their legs. He believes Sellers’ play has complemented a solid rushing attack, which has added another facet to Beamer’s offense. Swinney also stated that South Carolina has one of the best defenses in the country, headlined by pass rushers like Dylan Stewart and Kyle Kennard.

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