Clemson 66, App State 20: Dabo Swinney remembers Diondre Overton, breaks down game

okay uh well first of all just uh it's been a been a long day um you know just with the news this morning on DeAndre Overton uh so just you know um just took the wind out of my body this morning and I just U had opportunity to speak with his with his dad and and uh obviously they're you know they're hurting it's hard to process something you know like this and so s senseless um and just just a a beautiful young life cut short at 26 but man I love uh DeAndre Overton he was he was a great uh he's one of the best teammates that we've had come through here he here five years two-time National Champion uh voted Captain by his teammates you know I just still remember him putting the leather helmet on you know uh with three touchdowns against Boston College and and but he truly was just one of the sweetest spirited kids that we've had come through here and and again a truly a great teammate and so man my my heart um hurts and you know my prayers are with his family you know Brian Sandra uh just great people and I'm just you know just at a loss for words um and uh but we got a lot of people have had a chance to touch base with some of his teammates and um you know everybody's everybody's prayers are with them right now so um and I know who did it but I it was it was pretty cool walking in some flower on his captain plaque that was a that was a pretty special thing to see uh walking in so whoever did that I appreciate that um but uh the good news is I know where he is I know he's with the good Lord he was actually baptized while while he was here at Clemson uh I've got a picture of that on my phone and uh so you know life cut way too short but I I do know and have peace and knowing where he's at um but uh as far as the game you know always say the Fun's in the winning and we had a lot of fun tonight those guys got to play a lot of guys um and which I think will really help our team I thought our team really grew a lot from last week uh to this week uh AB State's a really good football team I mean I think they're the sixth winningest team in the country since 2015 and a team you this is a game I was really conc concerned about you know early uh just knowing you know hey this is this a tough this is gritty and uh it's in their DNA so but man we were just uh we were just too much I mean our guys you know played with Incredible Precision uh we we we were much more detailed and didn't have some of the silly mistakes and missed opportunities that we had last week um you know we made the plays that were there made routine plays and then we made some great ones uh we distributed the ball all over the place I think we had 13 different guys touch it um our offensive line for the second week in a row was really good and you know I think that that's a really good sign for us we didn't we didn't we didn't play Marcus we were able to hold Marcus uh which shows our depth you know he he was ready to go but we're like well I mean we've got we got we got good depth there so to be able to uh hold him I think is was awesome and to see how those guys played again you know proud of Lum uh once again just really just smooth with his operation and his snaps um so just a lot of good things in the game up front and then man Cade was awesome I mean awesome I've seen a lot of dudes come through here but we we've never ever uh ever had a half like that that's a School record points in the first quarter yards in the first half and uh Cade was um see he was 24 of 26 378 yards and seven touchdowns and played a half that was pretty pretty impressive and you know we we've seen him that's what he can do and uh you know I don't expect him to have seven touchdowns in a half every week but he can lead he can he can he can spin it he can make all the throws good to see him have a couple rushing touchdowns as well thought that was great um but just really proud of him man School record and efficiency 277 um so it was a great day for him great great day for our offense uh the start that we needed and again 13 different guys touched the ball mafa was awesome that's the longest Rush we've had since 2019 etn I think it was 83 y uh breny man what a what a start he's had in a couple games uh he's he's doing some great stuff um and as we got good depth at that position and then man our receivers really really they they played like we expect them to play and uh you know we did not make some of the routine plays last week and we had some critical errors and man we cleaned all that up this week and you know all those guys had an opportunity to make plays Westco obviously got his first start and I mean you know just you know awesome you know right out of the gate it was a great read by Cade on the third and long and uh you know just just a just an awesome awesome start for that young man um great to see Antonio I mean he's he's had a good couple of games at as well disappointed with the fumble and the pump return um and then um you know great to see Cole come back you know Cole he he had a bad game last week and he came back and made some plays and that's what he can do you know so it's good to see that uh Tyler Brown kind of rolled his ankle so we held him uh in the second half uh hopefully it's not anything serious we'll see tomorrow and then um um you know TJ Moore you know coming in and getting his first touchdown as well uh that's going to bode well for for us those guys are you know just Dynamic young freshman and you know they're going to be around here a while so uh that's exciting to know that you got guys like that that are going to be in your program for a while and are off to a great start in their in their young career so it's was really good to see that and um stellato uh Adam I thought Adam made some nice plays as well so just really happy to see everybody have an opportunity to touch the ball Jay Haynes got in there y'all saw some things out of him he was really close to breaking one or two and um so all of our backs got an opportunity to play and that was the best part of it a lot of guys got a chance to play so it'll be a fun fun tape because some guys got exposed you know and you know they all want to play and some guys were ready and some guys were not and that'll show on tape but it'll give us a chance to really challenge them and and hopefully have some improvement um from some of these guys but defensively you know we were sloppy in the second quarter um but I thought they settled in and and uh did a great job the rest of play in a million guys uh it's good to see us get the turnover in the Red Zone by Ricardo and Levi Matthews came up with one that was a great interception by him off the tip uh Peter ner got a turnover on the kickoff coverage so we were plus two in the margin so it's good to good to see that Steph Island got a sack I think we had U uh a bunch of pbus and Avon I think was one off the school record so uh great job by AV uh and uh missed a couple opportunities we got to pick six walk in pick six early and you know Shelton's first game to play he's he's going to be mad about that one and um couple other tip balls I thought we had a chance to get but you know all in all again just a great opportunity to play a lot of guys there's going to be some stuff on tape that that we'll be able to coach off of especially defensively but offensively man it was uh they were I mean h trade touchdowns um I don't know that I've ever been a part of that ever uh it was it was it was pretty special to watch it and I'm just really proud of those guys um I'm proud of our team and how they responded this week after after some disappointment and then our fans were awesome I mean it's just it's never gets old being in the valley but what an environment I mean it's a sellout and you know just our fans are resilient too and it was it was just incredible incredible environment just nothing but juice from the moment we walked out there and uh just I know our players appreciate that and our fans deserve a lot of credit you know we've won a lot of games here at home and and and they deserve a lot of credit for that CU it's an incredible uh environment so fun game to be a part of again playing a lot of guys we just got to you know keep improving keep growing our team and uh you know we got an open date which is good you know a couple guys banged up and and then uh hey we start conference play so uh that's the next kind of phase for us it's all about conference play and so we've got an opportunity to you know hopefully uh again get better over these next couple weeks learn from this tape and then U you know get back to work so it'll be a big week for us getting a head start on um um what we got to do in conference you talked about Kade taking it to game day a lot would you consider that taking it to game day yeah man I mean it's that's what he can do I mean and honestly we we saw a lot of that uh all through Camp I mean offensively we had a really it was the most explosive Camp we've had since 2019 made a lot lot of big plays in Camp these guys are really it you know and that's what was so frustrating about last week was we missed so much opportunity you know and in games like that you you you have a small margin for error you know all the way back to the first play of the game you know and tonight it was just good to see us make the routine plays and then we made some great plays and and it also just shows what happens when you get momentum and you get some Rhythm um and man just somebody gets that fire lit and it was it was great so again it'll be a game that'll go a long way for confidence of these guys and for them to see it you know for them to truly see what they're capable of doing and especially those guys up front and to see mafa rip one off for 83 yards uh you know that big that that big dude can move uh so a lot of good things in the game you know good to see whoer make another kick uh got interesting uh but but he made it and uh so that that's good you know to see him get off to a good start uh we got Jack in there late to get a punt as well but you know fun to see a lot of guys get an opportunity to play and again it'll make us it'll make us better Coach you could have scheduled an FCS opponent for the season opener like a lot of Highly ranked teams did inste number one Georgia uh and going into the bye with two blowout wins feeling you know all the fans really happy and feeling great about the team but you said that having that exposure you know would benefit your team and help make them better um how important is that going into this B to help them keep keep them levelheaded yeah I think I think it's huge and you know that a game like that is those are tough games for sure but I think it's how you grow your team it's how you teach them you know you you expose them to what it looks like and and our guys were really disappointed um but they they they took some confidence from that game you know there was a you know it's not always what the scoreboard says I mean there was a lot of good things in that game that we could build off of and and if we could improve in certain areas is then then we got a chance to be a really good football team and uh you know I mean we got a long way to go but I mean you know if we if we can find a way to win the league hey you'll get another opportunity down the road and and you know maybe that'll be even more meaningful in that moment but I mean we we got to we got to just find a way to stack some wins man that's what that's what we're trying to do just you know find a way to win one at a time and but it it was a great experience for him and just like coming off a win like this you know you got to put it to bed and you get on to the next one um you learn from it you grow from it a win or loss and and you just you try to keep growing your team growing your chemistry and growing your consistency was there anything in practice that you saw that maybe LED you to believe that the offense may be able to make a statement like it did in the first half this week well I mean not just this week I I saw it all fall Camp I I mean I saw it all fall Camp you know that we had the potential to be a really good group and again you know it's just one game we've had one bad game one good game and we we got to create some consistency in our performance uh but that was certainly a great response tonight against a good team and that's a tough tough group uh so I mean the biggest thing I saw was leadership after the game last week um and then just their Spirit back at work on Monday so just right back at it guess Peter Woods how is he help wise I mean I think he's you know okay but we'll see tomorrow when we do a more thorough check but it seemed like most of his you know things that we were really concerned about was was uh okay was it a point of emphasis to try to find the explosive plays get the ball downfield a little bit more coming into this game yeah I mean again I think it's it's all that stuff Builds on each other you know I mean you go back to last week we hit the first big play of the game and then we come right and hit another big play but we're not lined up properly and and you know just you know you don't get in a rhythm and things like that but but when you get this thing rolling we've got a chance to be really good especially when you got a quarterback that sees it and knows it and he really I thought last week I thought he really saw the field well and I saw it carry over to this week um I mean but we got we got really explosive guys all across the board um but it starts with those guys up front you know they set the tone for everything and then Cade you know again just you know that's what we've seen out of him um and you'all heard me say many times that just need we just need to take it to game day right and I gave him a b last week uh and I told him you got to be an A and he was he was A+ today uh he was he was outstanding but you know we had a few plays last week um you know that that like I said the first play of the game that's a momentum play and you just don't know what happens when you when when you get in Rhythm like that um but tonight man they took advantage of the routine plays he made great decisions uh guys made plays and then again once that once you get it going uh it's fun to watch especially when you can run the ball the way mafa can run the ball so uh just a good win you know all across the board and something that they can you know they needed some confidence so hopefully they can take some confidence from that and we can build on it but it won't get any easier have a lot of good good challenges um along the way way how about W's ability to track that ball that was dropped that's yeah he's just he's special special I mean he and TJ they're it's two special dudes and you know they're not guys that are just here for a semester you know they're here they're they're going to be here a while you know they get to they get to grow up in our program and uh so two two special dudes man that's why we went and signed them and uh and Gish Gish did has done an awesome job in put in recruiting and putting that group together and those were two huge huge gets you know uh all the way back to you know the guys that he's brought in here man those two are they got a chance to be great great great you've been excited to see CV play in a real game how did you think he did tonight I thought he did awesome what was he seven of 11 or something like that and you know what what you see with him people don't realize how he can run that big kid can move he's very very poised in the pocket what a great throw he made to to uh Cole and it was a great play by Cole but man he put that ball you right on the money on the double move um but he's just got a great feel in the pocket and and ability to really run the ball he needed that cuz you know he hadn't really played and you know so just he's a Poise kid big strong smart and I thought that was a a good performance for him you know for his first time out something he can grow Confidence from as well about Samy Brown had a couple of tackles on kick returns and then got in linebacker finished with nine tackles yeah he was flying around you know it's fun to see him he's starting to you know you you notice him a little bit more cuz he's he's a he's a blur out there you know he's physical and um you know Kobe got bangged up you know hopefully hopefully it won't be too bad I don't know we'll see where he is tomorrow um but it's great to see Sammy you know get out there and again he's growing his confidence and he's really taking pride in special teams uh so a lot of uh lot of a lot lot to be excited about with him is there an update on uh Kobe McLoud injur yeah I was just that's what I was just about Kobe uh you know we we'll know a little bit more tomorrow hopefully hopefully it's not anything long term but I don't really know right now is Trent Howard status he's close uh hopefully he'll be ready to go Inc State um but uh he's kind of he's just Day to-day first this is the first of what two off weeks that you guys get this year does that change your your off week plan that the first one comes so early in the season uh no you know we'll work you know we we'll go we'll go four days this week um you know practiceing meetings and then uh you know we'll get them off the weekend um I mean these guys have been going they been going since you know July uh so we'll give them a couple days off and and then they'll come back and get back in the study hall Sunday night and you know have a have a week but obviously obviously it's a big week for us because we get we'll get you know four good days of work uh in uh and not just on NC State but on our our team as well so it's a big week and I think everybody's getting two buys this year it's kind of weird I've never really had that but you know hopefully that will hopefully that will bode well uh you know for everyone not just us but you know certainly with a couple guys getting banged up today it'll I'm glad we don't play this week with it being a football reunion day