Coaches talk matchup, lucky underwear at Fiesta Bowl news conference

GLENDALE, AZ (WCMH/AP) — Lucky underwear.

Seriously. It was among the topics discussed at the final coaches’ news conference before Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl.

Urban Meyer and Clemson coach Dabo Swinney sat side by side in a hotel ballroom Friday morning and for 25 minutes they answered questions on the OSU-Clemson matchup, program philosophy and, yes, lucky underwear.

Swinney joked earlier this week that he was going to read Meyer’s book, which was published last year, for some insight. Turns out, Swinney really did read some of it as he quoted from the book at the news conference. “4 to 6, A to B, 9 strong.”

“You mean the game-day underwear, that’s not the key ingredient?” Swinney also joked.

“I’m not saying I don’t wear them,” Meyer responded.

The OSU coach says one of his biggest concerns for the game is how, with 4 full weeks to prepare, that players could get overwhelmed with information. He says he simply wants them to be able to play fast and relentlessly.

Ohio State will not have a walk through at University of Phoenix Stadium Friday, per OSU’s typical game week plan.

At the beginning of this week in Arizona, Swinney compared the 52-year-old Meyer to Notre Dame legend Knute Rockne and joked about how he needed to quickly read Meyer’s book to gain some insight.

Swinney, 47, talks about Meyer with reverential deference, but he is on the short list of current coaches who can claim Meyer-levels of success. Clemson needed more work when Swinney took over during the 2008 season than Ohio State did when Meyer became coach in 2012. But since 2011, Swinney is 68-14 (.829), including a victory against Ohio State in the 2014 Orange Bowl, one of only two postseason loses on Meyer’s record (10-2).

The only thing Swinney and Clemson have not accomplished during this run, the greatest in the history of the program, is a national championship. Deshaun Watson and the Tigers came up just short last year against Alabama. Watson, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, was fabulous against the Tide and followed it up with another spectacular season (3,914 yards passing and 37 touchdowns).

“I would think that you would see his poise,” Swinney said about Watson. “And to me his poise really makes him incredibly unique, because he just – he just never changes.”

Clemson returns to the playoff for a semifinal in the stadium where they lost 45-40 to Alabama in January. University of Phoenix Stadium is also the site of Meyer’s first national championship victory. His Florida Gators won the 2006 BCS title in Glendale, routing Ohio State.

“That was the first one, and I still, to this day remember, everybody on the sideline celebrating, screaming it’s not over yet. And it was pretty much over. And then we ran a bubble screen with about a minute and a half left to Percy Harvin, and he nudged the ball past the first down marker, and I thought, even us, we can’t screw this up now,” Meyer said. “The knees started shaking and it was a special moment, though.”

Swinney can relate. He played on the 1992 Alabama team that won the national championship.

“So I can definitely see it and visualize that and hopefully we’ll have our opportunity to hold the trophy up one of these days,” Swinney said.

“And we’ve got a chance this year. But they don’t give those things away, man,” he added. “You’ve got to go earn it and play well and you’ve got to beat the best. And that’s what we’re playing, the best of the best.”

Jerod Smalley will have more on this story coming up on NBC4 at 5 and 6. For more stories right now, grab our free news app for iPhone or Android.