FORT LAUDERDALE – Wayne Gallman is ahead of the track Tony Elliott thought he was on after last year’s Russell Athletic Bowl.

In the 40-6 destruction of Oklahoma, Gallman rushed 19 times for 55 yards. His 2.9 yards per carry was one of his lowest averages in 2014. It capped a solid first season, which saw him rush for 769 yards and four touchdowns on 161 carries.

This season, Gallman has rushed 243 times for 1,332 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s 14 yards away from the single-season record Raymond Priester set in 1996.

“You watch him in the last game against Oklahoma — we broke that game down and he looks like a little Bambi out there,” Elliott said. “He’s all over the place. He’s thin and he’s running high and dancing and jumping. Now you’re starting to see a guy that’s a lot more confident.

“He was missing some blitz pick-ups…some simple stuff. He was just inexperienced.

Now, you’re seeing a guy that’s confident. He knows what the quarterback is thinking. He understands, schematically, what we’re trying to do, from a patience standpoint, setting up his blocks. He’s just a completely different guy.

The rate of improvement has accelerated to a point that’s surprised Elliott.

“He’s just a completely different guy,” he said. “You’re seeing what I thought would take another year-and-a-half to two years, you’re starting to see that maturation process with what he’s done during the season. I think he still has a high ceiling left ahead of him.”

Sooner Striker: During film review of Oklahoma, Elliott sees an improved player in linebacker Eric Striker.

In last year’s bowl game, Striker had career-high 12 tackles with three tackles for loss, including 1.5 sacks. Striker finished 2014 with nine sacks. He’s got 7.5 in one less game this season.

“They like to (blitz) him. He’s a great player, very elusive,” Elliott said. “I think what happens is he gains an advantage with his speed…a lot of people, they look at his size and they don’t take into account how quick he is, how strong he is. He plays well with his hands. Seeing him do a lot more coverage this year than he did last year.”

Though Striker’s 2015 stats are similar to the numbers he put up in 2014, Elliott said he sees a more versatile player on film.

JV practice: The Clemson coaches use bowl practices as a way to gauge some of the talent that’s in the pipeline.

At the end of each practice, redshirts, reserves and scout team players get first-team-like reps with the coaches. The periods of work are invaluable to the staff.

Dabo Swinney was asked after Sunday’s practice to name the stand-outs in this year’s JV practice.

“A lot of guys, but really nobody to single out right now,” he said. “I think we’ve got a bunch of good, young guys that this is going to help them as we get into spring, help their growth. All those guys have worked hard and responded well.”

They’re a little handcuffed with this year’s practices.

“We haven’t been able to do as much scrimmaging as I would have liked, because we’re thin in the offensive line,” Swinney said. “We don’t have enough bodies.”

Despite the lack of full-team work, he’s pleased with the group’s work, as a whole.

“We’ve been able to get a lot of competitive work and cross-over. The accumulation of those reps will pay off for those guys as they get more and more comfortable,” Swinney said. “You’ve got to go play, to get better. This gives them an opportunity to get back dialed in to our schemes, as opposed to the scout team stuff.”

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