Clemson's history against Maryland
"Florida used to dominate Florida State and Florida State's won the last four. Alabama used to dominate Ole Miss and they lost to them. I think the days of domination are over. If you check the scores recently in college football, I believe the days of domination are over.

Maryland's turnaround
The biggest thing is they're playing with a lot of confidence right now. Being in an environment where you've lost for several years in a row, and then all of a sudden the new guy comes in. Being in an environment like at Tulane and at Duke where I was in the 1980s, you get a mindset that's hard to break out of. They're playing with great emotion and great effort. There's a lot of confidence right now with their record, kind of like we were last year when we were 8-0 and ranked third in the nation.

Terp Defense
"They pressure. I think they're leading the conference in sacks. Number 42 who played last year, right now is just playing real good. A lot of people rank him as maybe one of the top seven defensive players in the country. They play some three-man front, some four-man front. They've got a comprehensive scheme like most people and they're playing with a lot of confidence. They are number two in the nation in turnovers and you have a pretty good chance to win if you get turnovers.

Importance of finishing strong
"You'd like for the guys who are playing to have a taste of success heading into the offseason. I look at every game with equal importance. I thought every game my first year here was important it just so happened we played South Carolina at 5-5 with a bowl bid on the line. It's the same thing this year. I don't think the North Carolina or Florida State game is any more important than the Maryland or South Carolina or the Duke game.

Team's response
"I can only go based on the experiences we've had this year, how they've responded at Georgia Tech after Virginia and at Wake Forest after North Carolina. If that's accurate, then I think they'll respond well.

Playing better on the road
"I tried to move the game Saturday (Florida State) to Daniel High School but they wouldn't do it. It just so happened it worked out that way. After playing a whole bunch of games on the road and at home, there's an advantage to playing at home, especially in this environment. I know the record doesn't indicate that. I believe the first year I got here Clemson hadn't won a close conference game on the road in five years and now all I'm doing is winning close game on the road at N.C. State, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech. I don't know why.

Taking pressure off Woody
"Most schools try to get their best player the ball as much as possible. I think UCLA runs that tailback they have a whole bunch. The productivity at the other skill positions help your offensive production. But it just so happens that our quarterback is our top tailback. We're trying to get the best guy the ball as much as possible where it doesn't work too much to your disadvantage as far as being unpredictable. He handles it pretty good mentally and he's handled it pretty good physically. We want to give him the ball with opportunities to run and throw as much as possible. "