Dabo Swinney on Jake Bentley injury: ‘I hate that for him.’
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is hoping for the best for injured South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley.
Reports surfaced Monday afternoon that Bentley was injured during USC’s loss to North Carolina over the weekend, and Gamecocks head coach Will Muschamp confirmed the reports during his Tuesday press conference. Muschamp stated that Bentley could be out for as few as six weeks or as long as the entire season.
Swinney addressed the injury during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
“I hate that for him. I hope it’s not as serious as they say. I guess the report was he was going to be out for half the year or something. Hopefully it’s not,” Swinney said. “The kid’s worked really hard. He’s a great young man. He’s a product of this state and I know is committed to his team. And I know he’s put the work in to be the best that he can be.”
Bentley has faced Clemson three times during his career and is 0-3 against the Tigers. He completed 32-of-50 passes for 510 yards and five touchdowns against Clemson in a 56-35 loss last season in Death Valley.
“You hate to see anybody lose their opportunity, especially their season year. It’s tough,” Swinney said. “It’s part of the game. We all know that. My heart goes out to him and hopefully he can recover.”
Sold out stadium
Clemson’s Week 2 matchup against Texas A&M is sold out, marking the first sellout for the Tigers since the Auburn game in 2017.
Swinney expects an incredible environment for the top 15 showdown between No. 12 Texas A&M and No. 1 Clemson.
“This is one of the most unique environments in all of college football, and when this place is rocking, it’s a problem,” Swinney said.
Several games were close to a sellout last season, including the South Carolina game, but USC, as several teams did, returned tickets the week of the game.
“This is just one of those great environments. Our fan base is passionate and loud. I’ve never sat in the stands here before, but everybody tells me not many people sit down,” Swinney said. “I just think it’s a unique place, and there’s no question our crowd energizes us at home, for sure. Hopefully they can impact the opponent, too, but man they energize us. It makes a big difference at home when you have that positive energy.”
Matching up
Clemson’s receivers are much taller than most of the defensive backs they face week in and week out. That won’t be the case Saturday.
Texas A&M starts 6-foot-4 cornerback Myles Jones and 6-foot-2 corner Charles Oliver. It also has a pair of 6-foot-2 backups in Rony Elam and Elijah Blades. All six of Texas A&M’s cornerbacks listed on the depth chart are 6-foot-1 or taller.
“This will be as good a secondary as we play all year, really talented,” Swinney said. “Their corners are all long-bodied, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4.”
This story was originally published September 3, 2019 at 12:19 PM.
