CLEMSON — Dabo Swinney admits it: when Alabama charges onto the Georgia Dome floor Saturday night, he’ll probably feel a familiar twinge or two.

This is hardly a shocking revelation. After all, Clemson’s receivers coach and assistant head coach has myriad ties to the Crimson Tide. The Birmingham-area native played at UA under coach Gene Stallings, coached there under Stallings and Mike DuBose and still has loads of family in central Alabama.

And Saturday’s Clemson-Alabama game marks his first clash with his alma mater and former employer.

“There’ll be a little of, ‘Man, there’s the crimson jersey – I wore that a long time,’” Swinney said Tuesday.

But he makes it clear: his loyalties are firmly with the Tigers and Tommy Bowden.

“I took a lot of pride in it, coaching (at Alabama) and playing there,” he said. “But I don’t have anything invested with those guys. My work and sweat and blood is shed here with these guys, these players, where I spend 16-17 hours a day. That’s just a little fun side-note, when you hear “Sweet Home Alabama” or “Yea Alabama,” which I can still sing to this day. But it’s our opening game and I want to win. I don’t care who we play.”

He’s serious. After all, Swinney could have just as easily been preparing for Clemson this week as a member of Nick Saban’s staff. Saban offered him a job and a pay raise when he took over at Alabama in January 2007, but Swinney declined, saying he was honored by the offer but it wasn’t the right time to leave.

“Bottom line, it was terrible timing for me,” he said. “Clemson has been very good to me and coach Bowden has been very good to me. I spent a lot of time there. But that was a week before (national) signing day, I had six guys committed to come here, and if I can’t make a decision and feel good about it, it’s probably the wrong decision. The right decision was for me to stay here at Clemson, and I’m glad I did.”

INJURY UPDATE

Bowden said Thursday that freshman tailback Jamie Harper (sprained ankle) is probable for Saturday, while freshman cornerback Coty Sensabaugh (shoulder injury) will miss the game. Senior defensive tackle Rashaad Jackson will miss the first half of the season recovering from a torn knee tendon.

Bowden added that the starting punting battle between senior Jimmy Maners and freshman Dawson Zimmerman will likely come down to pre-game warm-ups. Maners and walk-on receiver Nelson Faerber have been placed on scholarship, he added.

FINAL PREP

Clemson went through a light workout Thursday and will travel to Atlanta today for a brief walk-through in the Georgia Dome. Bowden said although most of the work is done, head games still remain.

“There is a lot of mental playing that you can do from here to game time,” he said. “It’s the teams that separate themselves from all the distractions with parents, tickets and family (that succeed). That’s what we’ll find out.”