WATCH: Clemson coordinators discuss 52-14 win over Georgia Tech |
Clemson coordinators
Tony Elliott,
Jeff Scott, and
Brent Venables talked about the team's 52-14 over Georgia Tech on Thursday night.
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On offensive preparation:
“This was actually a tough game to get prepared for. We didn’t quite know what to expect, and we knew we would have to get into the game and make some adjustments. Early on they [Georgia Tech] did some good things with their coverages, so that limited things early on. Once we got control of the line of scrimmage, we relied on those guys up front and running the football.”
On Trevor Lawrence using his legs more:
“Each game is going to dictate that. The biggest thing we asked him there is just to make the system right. He’s done a really good job of making the right decisions first and foremost, and he’s a much better runner than people give him credit for.”
Opening statement:
“It was great to get off to a fast start. Really difficult opener. Openers are always difficult, but especially [when] you’ve got a new staff coming in, not knowing exactly what you’re going to get. We planned for one thing, and give them credit, they came out and did something completely different. Felt like we settled in and really ran the ball. Really proud of that offensive line. Four seniors up there. That’s our leadership, that’s our experience, the heartbeat of our offense.”
On the limitations early in the passing game:
“They played a lot of coverage. We want to be able to be a balanced team and we want to have an opportunity when they’re giving us the throwing game to be able to execute that. When they’re letting us run the ball, [we want to] take it. A quick death or a slow death. We really thought they were going to play a lot of man coverage and we were going to get a lot of opportunities.”
On Travis Etienne’s improvement from last season:
“[He’s] just taking the next step..his maturity. He’s always been a strong runner. I think for him the biggest step has been in pass protection. And that’s another thing I should say, no sacks today, especially with all the different things up front. A lot of unknowns. To be able to come out with no sacks, that includes the running backs, offensive line and tight ends. Travis has worked hard. He’s a humble guy, very hard-working. [He] doesn’t listen to any of the outside noise or anything like that. It was great to be able to see him back and have some explosive runs.”
On Clemson’s overall body of work:
“Proud of our guys. I thought they came ready to play. I saw guys play with tremendous effort. A lot of passion. [I] thought we were physical. Our positioning was pretty good. [It was] the first game for a lot of guys as [starters] and I thought they performed well, particularly in the first half. We had a lot of situational football where our guys really responded, came through. We had a couple of forced turnovers and some fourth down stops. We saw a lot tonight.”
On the growth of Clemson’s defensive front:
“No doubt. And we left some money on the table. With a little bit of improvement and correction, [we] could have had a shutout. It’s that close. [Georgia Tech] has done a nice job. They’re doing the right stuff and using their personnel the right way. But absolutely, there’s a ton that you saw our guys grow up from.”
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