Last week took a toll on Clemson co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott, and it had very little to do with Saturday’s game against Florida State.

ESPN featured a story on Elliott and the death of his mother, Patricia.

On June 11, 1989, she died in a automobile accident while driving Tony and his younger sister to church. One of the streets at the intersection is Sycamore Street, hence the title of the story, which aired on ESPN GameDay.

“It probably hit me most on Saturday when I saw the piece, because they flashed up a couple of pictures. I saw my mom and some sentimental pictures,” he said. “Throughout the course of the week, there was a day where I had to do a little bit of interviewing, which was emotional.”

Tony took up most of the five-minute story, even though his sister, Brandi, wasn’t featured, aside from a few of those old pictures.

“It was stressful on my family as well, because my sister, she didn’t get featured as much in the piece as I did, but she spent a lot of time on camera interviewing, talking about a lot of things from the past,” he said. “You know, the way that I’ve programmed myself is just to keep looking forward.

“I’ve acknowledged what’s happened in the past. I think about my mom often, but I try not to focus on the events. I just keep pressing forward every day, to make her happy.”

Nonetheless, the hours leading up to Florida State weren’t all that easy for Elliott.

“It got a little emotional for me on Saturday morning when I saw the piece,” he said, “But being around the guys, they got me back locked in, they got me back focused, and that’s what I’ve used my entire life is the motivation of others around me, to push me, to keep me focused.

“Once I got back in front of the guys, I knew they were counting on me. I knew I didn’t have the time to be emotional and that they were counting on me to be prepared and lead them into battle.”