Following Clemson’s impressive victory over Miami this past Saturday, offensive coordinator Tony Elliot and various players had a lot to say about the performance, the overall success of the team, and the upcoming challenge at North Carolina State when they spoke to the media on Monday.
Here is what we heard:
Quarterback Deshaun Watson is not surprised at all by the consistent success Clemson has had this season.
“I’m not surprised of what we’re doing and how everyone is staying focused and making sure that we’re staying on task,” Watson said “We earned the position that we’re in now. We worked hard over the spring and summer.”
Watson believes a big part of their success comes from the team buying into the standard and culture that Clemson has set.
“Its just really love and family here. A lot of guys on the team really don’t care about how many catches or touchdowns or yards they have. It just shows that we care about each other and all we care about is that result at the end,” Watson said. “That shows the character and leadership on this team. We want more than just our name in the newspaper.”
Safety Jayron Kearse says beating Miami means just as much to him as beating Appalachian State did because it is just one step closer to Clemson’s ultimate goal.
“We’re just continuing on our quest to do something special here. I really don’t put too much thought into it, it’s just a great team win for us,” the junior said.
However, more wins does mean more locker room celebrations and more opportunities to see head coach Dabo Swinney’s iconic dance moves.
“We pick the songs and Coach Swinney does the dancing,” Kearse said.
The offense racked up 416 rushing yards alone against the Hurricanes, and the coaches decided to name the entire offensive line as the offensive players of the game. Offensive lineman Joe Gore was really proud of his unit’s performance.
“It shows that this team, we’re dedicated to being the best that we can be and we’re getting better throughout the season,” he said. “That’s our goal every week, to try to get as many yards, especially running the ball. Us O-linemen love to dominate in the trenches. Going to an opposing team’s house and putting up numbers like that, that’s a great accomplishment. We try to put up as many rushing and passing yards as we can.”
Many backup offensive linemen had the opportunity to gain snaps on Saturday, and the offense was still productive when the second and third string players were in the game.
“Its exciting because that’s like the future of the program, so knowing that we’re leaving the team in good hands like that, that’s really exciting. I look forward to it, seeing them play next year,” Gore said.
Moving on to the upcoming opponent, Elliot knows NC State’s defense will be another challenge for the offense. The Wolfpack is currently ranked among the top three in the nation for total defense.
“They’re confident in their secondary to where they can lock you up in man-coverage and be able to load the box and have extra hats to stop the run, so they’re playing at a high level, got a lot of confidence, and they’ve earned the ranking that they’ve got when you cut on the tape,” Elliott said. “I know, from an offensive perspective looking at the defense, their attention is going to be gathered very quickly when you cut on the tape.”