Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008

Practice report: Spiller will stay if Swinney is retained

News of the day

Senior safety Michael Hamlin said he is considering writing a letter to school president James Barker endorsing Dabo Swinney to be Clemson’s full-time coach.

Junior running back C.J. Spiller took it a step further. Spiller, a possible first-round NFL draft pick in April, said he would return to Clemson for his senior season if Swinney is retained.

“He’s the one who brought me in here, and I really hope he comes back,” Spiller said.

Swinney said the decision will ultimately come down to the desires of Spiller and his family, but he doesn’t doubt that Spiller could eventually choose to stay.

“He’s his own man, and he’s not afraid to make a big decision,” Swinney said. “He came to Clemson and surprised a lot of people doing that.

“It will be interesting to see what he does. We will have the ‘Spiller for Heisman’ campaign ready to go just in case.”

Stock rising

Swinney’s candidacy. Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, believed to have been a leading candidate, agreed Tuesday to be the Longhorns’ coach-in-waiting. The job might still be Swinney’s to lose.

Stock falling

The Clemson fan who publishes the clever Web site Solidboom.com, which endorsed Muschamp to be the Tigers’ next coach. Maybe his support will shift to “The Dabo.”

Quote of the day

“This team has two weeks left. These are special days. I tell these guys, five years from now, two months from now, 20 years from now, they are going to miss this. Everybody does. Anybody who’s ever played, they miss the grind, the work, the structure, the camaraderie, your teammates, the time you had together in the moment. When you move on into the real world, you think about that and miss that. This team’s time is almost over ... so you want to finish as strong as you can. So don’t wait on it to happen, make it happen.” — Swinney

Injury report

Junior defensive end Ricky Sapp said the deep knee bruise suffered in the season opener still has yet to heal. He had the knee drained as recently as a week ago. “I can’t use it as an excuse, but it’s not perfect,” Sapp said. ... Senior defensive tackle Dorell Scott (strained patella tendon) felt worse as practice went along, line coach Chris Rumph said, but Rumph is hopeful Scott will be available Saturday.

Scouting report

Attempts to sack Virginia quarterback Marc Veronica might be in vain. The Cavaliers have surrendered 12 sacks in 10 games, the second-lowest total in the ACC. Clemson defensive coordinator Vic Koenning said the emphasis on a quick, short passing game, combined with a tendency to max-protect Veronica, have been the key elements to their passing efficiency.

— Paul Strelow

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