Notes: Swinney wants team to 'worry about us'

CLEMSON - The scenarios by which Clemson could clinch the ACC's Atlantic Division crown reminded coach Dabo Swinney of a tale annually repeated by his college coach at Alabama, Gene Stallings.

The 18th-ranked Tigers can advance to face Georgia Tech in the ACC championship by beating Virginia in Saturday's home finale in Death Valley (3:30 p.m., ABC).

Or they need Boston College to lose one of two remaining games - against North Carolina on Saturday or next week at Maryland.

Stallings was golfing with legendary pro Ben Hogan when Stallings asked whether Hogan ever rooted for an opponent to miss a putt.

Their golf cart screeched to a halt on the fairway, and Hogan pointedly told Stallings that if he won, it was because Hogan played his best, not because his opponent played poorly.

"He was making the point that 'Let's worry about us,'" Swinney said. "Let's don't sit around and worry about this and that. We're in control, so anything else doesn't matter than the way we play."

"I don't want anything given to us. Let's compete and go to work and let's try to earn what we get. That's what we're going to try to do."

Money matters. Saturday's outcomes could have a substantial impact on Swinney's wallet.

If Clemson qualifies for the ACC title game, he stands to earn a bonus of either $75,000 or $100,000, the latter if the team meets an academic standard as expected.

More pertinently, it triggers a clause that would nearly double Swinney's $800,000 annual guaranteed compensation for the remaining four years of his contract, beginning next season.

Swinney would be guaranteed the median salary of ACC coaches, which would be nearly $1.79 million, according to recent contract figures compiled by USA Today.

If Clemson wins the ACC title, Swinney is guaranteed the average of the ACC's seven highest-paid coaches - close to $2.1 million.

As for this year, Swinney can stockpile $100,000 bonuses for winning the ACC title, making a BCS bowl and winning a BCS bowl. He would net $50,000 for being named ACC Coach of the Year.

Injury updates. Swinney said he expects senior left guard Thomas Austin (mid-foot sprain) and sophomore defensive end Da'Quan Bowers (sprained knee ligaments) will play against Virginia.

Austin will be limited in practice through Wednesday, Swinney said. Bowers has not practiced for two weeks after spraining his MCL and PCL on the first defensive play against Coastal Carolina.

All Spiller, all the time. In throwing, running for and catching a touchdown pass at N.C. State, senior running back C.J. Spiller became the third player in the Football Bowl Subdivision to hit the scoring trifecta this season.

Northwestern's Mike Kafka did it against Syracuse on Sept. 19, and UAB's Joe Webb followed against UTEP two weeks ago.

Clemson corrected a note from Saturday's game, clarifying that Spiller was the first player in program history to notch all three against an FBS opponent. Ray Matthews accomplished the feat against Presbyterian in 1950.

Extra points. Swinney was pleased with the defense's ability to disrupt N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson, counting 20 times in which Russell was pressured. ... While the competition for starting placekicker was reopened with redshirt freshman Spencer Benton's two misfires, Swinney blamed one extra point miss on a hold. Incumbent Richard Jackson, who had been struggling, was withheld from the starting lineup for an academic violation. "We were trying to compete last week and Richard made it easy for me," Swinney said. "We'll see how it goes this week."