Day vs. Dabo: Part II is almost here.
We are about 36 hours away from Ohio State and Clemson kicking off their redux after the Tigers won the Fiesta Bowl by 29-23 in 2019.
Ryan Day and Dabo Swinney took the virtual podium on Thursday morning for a joint press conference ahead of the College Football Playoff rematch.
A detailed summary of what the two main coaches had to say:
Ryan Day
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Despite being an underdog for the third time since 2016, Day says it doesn’t provide any extra motivation for the state of Ohio: “Our guys are excited for this game, no matter what. … You are in the CFP and play for a national championship. We don’t need much more motivation than that. ”
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Day says that last year’s defeat to Clemson was “fresh in our minds” and used as motivation, but he says the motivation for that defeat became a little less important when the Buckeyes’ season was questioned during the COVID-19 pandemic. .
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Day: “The biggest motivation for us is that we will have the opportunity to tell a great story.”
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Day in Ohio being healthy and full force for the game: “Full strength is a floating target.” He said the players who were in the Northwestern game are “working to get back to it … but, to say 100 percent, it’s different this year.”
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JK Dobbins was the bell cow in 2019, so the split between Mestre Teague and Trey Sermon was “different,” says Day. And after a season of ups and downs for both, Day believes the two are getting into the groove: ” Seeing how (Trey) went in his last game was amazing. ”
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With Swinney having ranked Ohio State 11th in his coaches’ survey, Day admits he is happy that Swinney was not on the College Football Playoff selection committee, but he did not respond directly to Swinney for ranking them out of the top 10.
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He believes that winning the scrimmage line is extremely important for the state of Ohio to have a chance to win.
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Because he is out of the daily grind in such a routine sport, Day says he undermined the program by not being able to “look the guys in the eye and say what’s coming”. He says that they are no longer taking anything for granted and that “they still have a lot to be thankful for.”
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Buckeye’s defense is confident that he has discovered things since the Indiana game: “It’s a great question. How do you know when you’ve only played six games? The only way to find out is by playing. … But let’s go against each other in practice every day … There has been a big improvement in this area, but the real test will be tomorrow. ”
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Day of being the underdog: “Those are people’s opinions. What matters is that we go out and play.”
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On the importance of Justin Fields to recover and play his best game against Clemson: “I don’t think we, as a team, played our best game yet. … I’m not sure if Justin did too, but that’s the challenge. But that’s everybody. “He says it will be a collective effort, but that Fields” will have to play well, for sure, and he knows it “.
Dabo Swinney
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Swinney says Clemson is “motivated to win as well as to lose”. He says that winning a national championship makes you want to go out and win another one, just as much as losing in the game for the national title as happened with LSU: “We certainly learned from our memories.”
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Swinney about offensive coordinator Tony Elliott not being available for the Sugar Bowl: “We are certainly going to miss Tony,” but how will that affect Clemson? “You can ask me that after the game.”
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Swinney says Clemson is missing only two players who didn’t make the trip, including a visitor and a fellow. The status reports for Clemson and the state of Ohio will not be released until Friday.
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He says the Tigers were forced to make many adjustments during an uncertain season, “but we have found a way to still find joy in the journey”. He says Clemson “started out more expensive than ever, ever.”
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Clemson’s recruitment was also “very, very different” this season. Swinney says the Tigers have some guys moving to campus next week that he “never met in person.
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CJ Spiller is handling the running back rotation with Tony Elliott absent, while Swinney and assistant coach Brandon Streeter will be training the defenders together.
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Tigers are rarely losers. He says that, being a favorite or an underdog, they “stay focused as we always have.”
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About Trevor Lawrence: “He’s as good as he ever was, for sure. He’s the biggest winner I’ve ever been. He’s 34-1. He’s been amazing.”
