CLEMSON, S.C. — With a 9-1 overall record and a 7-0 mark in the ACC, Clemson has a strong body of work with just two games left in the regular season.
Miami serves as the final ACC opponent of the regular season for the Tigers who will host arch-rival South Carolina a week from Saturday.
For head coach Dabo Swinney, it's all about running the race through the tape and that means avoiding any and all traps that may be laid by the Hurricanes or the Gamecocks before meeting up with North Carolina in the ACC Championship game in Charlotte in that first weekend of December.
"They remember November. It's all about how you finish," Swinney said.
"Lose these next two games, everyone forgets you were 9-1."
Swinney added that his goal for the Tigers are to prepare them to play their best at the end of the year.
"We have a lot of lessons we have learned," Swinney said.
"We have a lot of information. But information without application gets no transformation. We want to play our best ball in the fourth quarter. We have been a great fourth quarter team around here for years and years around here.
"Let's put the season away and then 'Hey'. It's a new season. It's a post-season and it's a whole different deal."