Swinney Asked about ACC's Response to Chop Block on Woods

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was upset about what he saw as an illegal chop block on star defensive lineman Peter Woods that did not get called in the Tigers’ 66-20 win over App State on Sept. 7.

The play happened early in the second quarter, when Woods was chopped down below the knees by App State tight end Eli Wilson. The chop block left Woods on the ground and in pain, but no penalty flag was thrown, and thus Clemson submitted video of that play to the ACC for review.

On Wednesday evening, Swinney met with the media and was asked if the league has responded to the inquiry about the chop block on Woods and if Swinney received clarification on it.

“Yeah, I have,” he said.

Was Swinney satisfied with what he heard back from the ACC?

“Oh yeah. We’re on the same page,” he said. “Had good communication with them. We talked through everything, and I appreciated how they responded.”

Swinney said Wednesday evening that Woods is “still day-to-day” ahead of the 21 ^st -ranked Tigers’ ACC opener Saturday vs. NC State at Death Valley (12 p.m., ABC).

Prior to the App State game, Woods tallied a career-high 2.5 tackles for loss, including his first career sack, among his six tackles in Clemson’s season opener against Georgia.

A former five-star prospect from Alabama and 2023 freshman All-American, Woods came into this season credited with 27 tackles (2.5 for loss) and a forced fumble in 307 snaps over 12 games (two starts) last season.