They said it: Tigers preview A&M
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Several members of the No. 1 Clemson Tigers spoke about the upcoming matchup with Texas A&M. Here are a few notes from the session earlier this week.
Jeff Scott:
"I wouldn't say they like to keep everything in front because he can be aggressive, I would just say that his guys are always going to be in position. I think it's very similar to coach Venables' defense. They may do a lot of things, but they're always going to have the guy on the back end to make up for where they're blitzing. They're going to be gap sound, they're going to have the right cover, you don't see a lot of blown coverages or a bunch of open gaps. I think it's just very well-coordinated, very well tied together. They know what they're doing and they're able to be very aggressive."
"I think tackle is the toughest position, maybe outside of center, just from the communication standpoint. But just the athleticism of the defensive ends those guys have to block, you're always looking for more than just two tackles that can go in. We're very high on Jordan (McFadden), I mean, he's had an outstanding spring and fall camp and he's a guy that we feel like we can lean on. He's going to continue to play and get some experience so that if and when somebody does get dinged up it doesn't feel like you're just bringing a guy off the bench that hasn't played. That's definitely a luxury for us to have three guys we feel good about a tackle."
Nolan Turner:
"Playing there last year was really cool. Their stadium is huge, great atmosphere they are a great team. Good athletic offense, well-coached. Looking for that same type of team this year."
"Gotta be super disciplined with this offense. This is probably one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC with a great group of receivers and running backs around them. Eyes are everything, especially when you're playing defense. He can make all the throws and they got a bunch of guys to help him out."
"I don't know about motivation, I think we're super motivated defense every week to go in there and play your best. I think just as a player it's enough motivation to just grade a winner every week and to perform the best of your ability. That goes into so much, film study and practice out here during the week. Having this caliber of opponent come into our stadium it's gonna be a fun game we're looking forward to."
K’Von Wallace:
"Just knowing that we had to make the play, knowing that, it's on us, it's on the defense to go out there and save the day. Just trusting our coach, trusting the players and throughout the game, I felt like we had a lot of ups and downs. I left a lot of players out there, a lot of interceptions on the ground. I feel like coming up this week, just be who we are and will be just fine."
"We're just a humble group going out there each week, putting our best foot forward, blocking all the noise. We can't control what the media say, we can't control with coaches say and what players say from other teams. All we can worry about is what we can control and that's just us. Being accountable for my teammates is the only thing I can control so that's what I'm focused on."
James Skalski:
"I was ready to play. Actually, I took some reps, like I knew there was a chance I could get in the game. I was ready to go, but they never call my number. It was really hard because that's honestly one of the best stadiums I played in that place is awesome. Like I said before, I knew their plan for me, and I just trusted it. It's all working out pretty well."
"The speed of the game, obviously, you can try to replicate it all you want in practice, but it's just different when you get out there. And really you can't replicate playing in Death Valley as much as you want to try. It's definitely something, it's like, 'wow, I'm in the I'm in the heat of the fire now,' it's really cool though."