By Will Vandervort.
By Will Vandervort
ATLANTA — The last couple of weeks have been pretty interesting for Clemson defensive back Travis Blanks. The freshman, who spent most of the season as the 13th-ranked Tigers’ nickel back against spread teams has worked primarily as a safety as Clemson prepares to play No. 7 LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
The freshman has also had to adjust to life without his position coach, Charlie Harbison, who bolted for Auburn at the start of bowl practice earlier this month.
“One man doesn’t stop a program,” said Blanks after Thursday’s practice in the Georgia Dome. “We all love Coach Cheese, but the ball has to keep rolling. Wesley (Goodwin) and (Brian) Mance have come in and done a great job with us, they are two respectable guys that handle and coach us well. We have not lost a step.”
Goodwin and Mance have also helped Blanks learn his responsibilities at safety. Blanks spent 85 percent of the reps in practice the last few weeks at the free safety position, primarily due to the type of scheme LSU likes to run.
LSU (10-2) likes to run two running backs with one tight end formations. That formation is generally known as 21 personnel.
“They run a lot of heavy 21 and 22,” Blanks said. “Occasionally, they will run 11 personnel so I will mostly be at safety.”
Blanks will likely see some time at nickel, too, but only when LSU goes to three wide sets, which does not happen often. LSU, who finished second in the SEC West this year, averaged 179.9 yards per game on the ground, and had four running backs gain nearly 400 yards each.
“Because of their style of play, he has been able to work more at his natural position,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “It has been great bowl practice for him and it has been great work here (in Atlanta) which is going to really pay off for him next year.”
Blanks is expected to permanently move to free safety in the spring.
“We trained him up, as you know, to be our nickel guy this year because you see so many three wide sets on the field or really athletic tight ends so most people have a nickel-type guy, whether it is a DB or whatever,” Swinney said. “For us we just kind of trained Travis up as a true freshman to really take ownership of that role, and he did an excellent job.”
Blanks has been cross training for the last half of the season at safety, and started the Georgia Tech there, where he played 38 snaps and recorded six tackles. Though the Georgia Tech game was a good learning experience for the Tallahassee, Fla., native he understands that what he will see in the Chick-fil-A Bowl will be something different altogether.
“Georgia Tech was a (different) thing because it was a different scheme versus that option,” he said. “I got a little bit more game experience, but technically it was a lot different.
“I have been preparing my mind that this is just another game. LSU is a good football team, but so are we. I have been studying film and getting my game plan down and focusing on what I have to do.”
In his first season at Clemson, Blanks has made big strides to become the type of player Clemson hopes he can become. In 12 games, including eight starts at either nickel back or safety, he recorded 51 tackles and had six passes broken up. He also had two tackles for loss, two quarterback pressures and one fumble recovery.
Though he isn’t likely to start at safety in the Chick-fil-A Bowl—senior Rashard Hall is expected to start—Blanks should see a good many reps there as he gets set to take over the position in the spring.
“Right now (Rashard) is first team, but I’m preparing as if I’m going to be the starter because you never know what can happen,” Blanks said. “I’m looking at this game as an opportunity. No matter how many reps I get in this game, the work I have done so far is not in vein. It will carry over into the off-season as well.”