The long, grueling work of the offseason is finally over. The monotonous rhythm of fall camp has given way to a palpable, electric buzz that can only mean one thing.
“This is go time,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney declared to open his weekly press conference on Tuesday. “When you wake up and it's game week, it's like, it's game.”
And what a game it is. A top-10, season-opening showdown against LSU looms this Sunday, and as Swinney breaks down the film on the Bayou Bengals, he sees a familiar formula for success—one that looks remarkably like his own.
“This is a very talented football team on both sides of the ball, you know, similar to us in a lot of ways,” Swinney said. “They've got elite quarterback play, elite skill, and they got it in the trenches on both sides. So it's a very similar team, as far as the makeup. That's why it's a top-10 matchup.”
The respect for his opponent, and specifically for head coach Brian Kelly, is evident. But it’s the detailed, almost reverent scouting report of LSU’s personnel that paints the picture of a true heavyweight bout. It starts with the man under center.
“Their quarterback’s a really good player. He's a leader. He's tough,” Swinney said, a tone of admiration in his voice. “I've never met him, but man, I got a ton of respect for this kid. He's got great instincts, really good pocket awareness, big-time arm talent.”
Surrounding that elite quarterback is a legion of weapons that has Swinney’s full attention. He specifically pointed to running back #29 as being “as good as we’ll probably see,” calling him “strong, powerful,” and a player who “breaks tackles.” He noted LSU has receivers who can “take the top off,” a “rocket ship” transfer from Oklahoma in #3, and a “big body receiver” in #8.
“They really don’t have any weaknesses on the offensive side of the ball,” Swinney concluded.
Defensively, the story is the same. Swinney echoed Brian Kelly’s own assessment that this might be his best defensive unit, and the Clemson coach can see why.
“They've got dudes at all three levels,” he stated plainly.
The breakdown is a who’s who of top-tier talent: elite linebacker play, a stout defensive line bolstered by a key transfer from FSU, and a secondary that features what Swinney called “probably as good of corners as we’ll see all year.”
With Clemson entering the week in “a good spot” from a health standpoint, the stage is set for a collision of titans built from the same championship DNA. The work is done. The analysis is complete. Now, as Swinney said, it’s time to “go play ball.”
“I don't have any doubt it's going to be one heck of a game.”