Swinney lobbies for spring exhibition games

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CLEMSON - Dabo Swinney has an idea to liven up spring practice - have Clemson play an exhibition game against another team.

"Let's go play Georgia," Swinney said. "Don't you think that could generate some good money with all the Clemson fans and Georgia fans? Let's split the gate down the middle."

Swinney noted that high school and NFL teams play other teams in exhibition games. So, Clemson's coach figures, why not at the college level?

"You get tired of going against each other," Swinney said.

Swinney's exhibition game would resemble a spring game. Quarterbacks would be off limits, there would be red-zone situational work and the coaches would agree beforehand when to play the first team and when to play the second- and third-string players.

And Swinney wouldn't want to play anyone on the upcoming schedule.

"You don't want to spend spring game-planning for another team," Swinney said, "we are not going to max blitz.

"The NFL does it all the time, practicing against each other. Plus, I think you would generate a lot of revenue, and that's the opportunity I see in this."

Spiller, who?

Clemson worked in pads, and in the rain, for the first time this spring Wednesday.

Most impressive was the work at running back, where Jamie Harper and Andre Ellington each had long touchdown runs.

Harper, a junior, and Ellington, a sophomore, figure to split the majority of work at running back this fall, with redshirt freshman Roderick McDowell also in the mix.

As Swinney notes, Ellington (7.2 ypc) had a higher rushing average than C.J. Spiller (5.6 ypc) last year. Harper averaged 5.2 yards per carry.

The Tigers return to practice March 22.

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Thursday, Mar. 11, 2010

Thursday, Mar. 11, 2010