CLEMSON – With a win in the ACC Championship game against SMU, Clemson earned its spot in the College Football Playoff. The path to the National Championship first goes through the fighting Longhorns of Texas and head coach Steve Sarkisian.

–Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller commented on the physical and mental toll this season has taken on the team. “Obviously, it is a bit of a roller coaster of emotions, but it is college football, and anything can happen. So, the second we saw that we were in the ACC Championship, it was just full speed ahead on SMU and try and make the most of the opportunity. God gave us an opportunity to redeem ourselves and it was up to us to make the most of it.”

–Miller on the offensive line as a whole under Matt Luke. “I think what we have improved as an offensive line, but I think there is still a bunch of room for improvement for just kind of as Coach Luke says making our layups, making sure that we don’t have a favorable look we make the most of it and then just continuing to cement a tradition, if you want to call it that kind of standard in the offensive line.”

–The junior was asked about Texas’s defensive line and what it will take to give quarterback Cade Klubnik time to have success in the pocket. “I think they are a really good group. They play really good football as a whole. They play together, they are not mental busting anything like that. They move well on the edge they play with good hands and have good moves… I think too come third down they get into packages to try and rush the passer in the most efficient way possible… making sure we are all on the same page will set us up for success.”

–photo by Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images