Notebook: Tigers rested and ready for Orange Bowl

Clemson was a banged up football team when it walked off the field at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte after defeating North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game.

The Tigers had just finished a stretch of 10 straight weeks with a game and needed a break to let their bodies heal and rest.

More than three weeks later, the Tigers are rested and ready for a showdown with Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said his team is as healthy as its been all year entering Thursday’s game.

“We’re in great shape physically. We’re going to be a fast football team. I like where we are as far as our injury report and all that type of stuff,” Swinney said. “It certainly has been great having some time off, these guys getting their legs. And I think we’ve practiced really smart. The guys feel good about the plan, and now we’ve just got to go execute it.”

Linebacker Ben Boulware might have benefited the most from the break. He was taking shots and fighting through shoulder pain at the end of the season in order to stay on the field, but he says now he is 100 percent and ready to play.

SWINNEY NOT WORRIED ABOUT CONFIDENCE

Swinney was asked Wednesday if he has done any Jedi mind tricks to make sure his team is not overconfident for Thursday’s game. While he has not, he says he has no doubt his players will be ready.

“Last year’s game just has nothing to do with this game. I mean, it really doesn’t. We have great respect for Oklahoma,” he said. “We talk about that all the time as far as last week’s tackles and touchdowns and all that stuff, sacks, don’t win this week. And certainly last year’s performance isn’t going to win this year. Different teams. Every game is a game and of its own. It really is.”

TARGETING RULE

The targeting rule has been a hot topic this college football season, and Swinney believes it needs to be tweaked before next year.

“I do think it has worked in that it’s cut down and it’s cleaned up a lot of what they were trying to get rid of. I don’t think there’s any question about that. I think it’s had a great effect on the game, and again, making the game safer and eliminating those type of plays,” he said. “But I think from time to time, I think there should be a little bit more opportunity in the review process. That’s where think I it needs to be tweaked a little bit.”

STOOPS PREPARES FOR CROWD

The Tigers are expected to have a crowd advantage for the Orange Bowl, and Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops has tried to get his team prepared.

He also feels confident the Sooners will play well, stating that their best games this year have been on the road.

“You know, you just pipe in noise and music into practice just like we do any time we’re going on an away game. We’re used to that. We played in front of 105,000 at Tennessee,” he said. “You know what I like, for whatever reason, too, the back half of the year, our best games have been on the road. I’m kind of glad we’re all the way down here. I think we’ve really been the most focused and played maybe the best when we’ve been on the road.”

This story was originally published December 30, 2015 at 11:07 PM with the headline "Notebook: Tigers rested and ready for Orange Bowl."