Clelin Ferrell on Alabama's run game: "They don’t really have a weakness."
Heading into the Sugar Bowl, Clemson's defensive front will have their hands full against Alabama's running game as noted in our premium First Look article earlier today. Here are a few quotes from Clelin Ferrell and Dorian O'Daniel as the Tigers prepares for the Crimson Tide.
Clelin Ferrell | Defensive End
On how difficult it is to prepare for a quarterback like Jalen Hurts:
“You can’t really it into words when you have a guy as versatile as he is. When you have a guy that can do a little bit of everything and does it very well and has the pieces around him to maximize the abilities he has, there really is no limit you can put on his talent or the level of ceiling he has. It really is more of a whole unit and a team effort as far as the defense to stop him.”
On the multiple running backs Alabama has to attack the defense:
“Best group of backs we’ve seen this year. When you watch the game last year you see how strong #34 (Damien Harris) and #9 (Bo Scarbrough) and #8 (Jalen Hurts) back there, and then they have one of the best offensive lines we’ve seen this year. It’s going to take a whole team effort with the front seven to stop that run game because if you can’t stop the run you can’t win the game. It’s going to be tough and I’m getting tired of saying how tough it’s going to be because…wow, they don’t really have a weakness. I feel like we have the talent and work effort to do so. The players have bought into the system so I feel like we’ll be fine as long as we take care of business.”
On his reaction when he saw Alabama at #4 in the playoff rankings:
“I feel like they deserve to be in. Obviously, they lost that game to Auburn and their schedule wasn’t as strong and some people feel like they shouldn’t have been in, but we feel like Alabama has consistently and always will be one of the best teams. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. I was excited when I saw them in there because we’re going to have the opportunity for the past three years to be the best team in college football which is where we want to be and they, for the past ten years, have been the best team in college football.”
On focusing on taking care of business and having fun in a city like New Orleans:
“It’s hard. I mean everything is in walking distance around here, so seeing some of the stuff going on in the streets, there is unlimited opportunities of things you can get into down here. At the end of the day, our people know what we came down here to do, and we have a mission and task at hand we came here to accomplish. We all realize that no matter what, the fun is in the winning, so when you remember that trying to win a game shouldn’t be miserable when you’re in a beautiful town like New Orleans. You should try and enjoy the experience but we still remember what’s important.”
On what it says about Clemson’s program to beat Alabama two times in a row:
“It would be huge obviously. We’ve been right there for the past five years as far as teams in the College Football Playoff, and the last two years we’ve given college football two of the best two games in the history of the college football championship era in terms of how competitive and the amount of superstars on the field. We know the amount of juice and hype that comes with this game and it would be huge to get a win again, because it’s becoming a bit of a rivalry and right now it’s one and one, so hopefully we can go up two and one.”
On how fun it is to play for Dabo Swinney:
“You can’t put it into words. He’s a player’s coach, and when you have someone that loves you and cares about you not just as a friend but as a man and a human being, you’ll do whatever for him. Obviously, Dabo [Swinney] is a big kid at heart since he put a slide into the new facility and the imagination and dreams he has because he dreams like us and thinks the way we think. At the end of the day, he knows what it takes to get there and the discipline it takes to get there, so when you have that he’s not a pushover and letting his players do what they want to do. He’s going to put them in the right position and hold you accountable. You can do nothing but respect him and run through a wall for him. I love that dude because I know he cares about the person first.”
Dorian O’Daniel | Linebacker
On being in New Orleans:
“The team is really excited. We haven’t been to New Orleans before so it’s a lot to take in. Just really enjoying the time with my teammates…especially me, being this is my last one, just embracing the time in between, the relationships I have with my teammates and not taking any of that for granted. It’s definitely a good experience that I’ll be able to look back on and cherish.”
On Alabama’s offense:
”They’re loaded every year. They can attack you in a lot of different ways and you have to respect that. They have a dual-threat quarterback that can attack you downfield and can pull down to run. They have a variety of running backs that are all different and capable. With that being said, you have to respect them in the play action, screen game, and every down.”
On defending a player like Jalen Hurts in the quarterback position:
“Like you said, you have to be honest in you execution of the game plan and understanding that guys have to hold up in coverage a long time because he does a good job of keeping his eyes downfield. Their receivers do a good job of getting up and trying to bail him out. So it’s going to be a good challenge. I know our guys, our back seven are ready for the opportunity, and at the end of the day it’s just good competition.”
On the difference in Jalen Hurts or the Alabama offense from last year to this year:
“There’s obviously a few wrinkles every year with every team, just like us but not too much. Differences...like their offense, their play, the pass, the play action. And you know, you have to be sound in what you do and make them earn every yard that they get.”
On the uniqueness of playing the same team three consecutive years in the College Football Playoff:
“We might as well add them to the schedule at this point. It’s definitely a credit to them the fact that this is the third time in a row that we’re going to be playing them. It definitely helps having played them three times just because you’re kind of familiar with their system and what they do. So, it does help us.”