Clemson has reached the single digit mark in the count down to kickoff at Auburn. The Sept. 3 matchup will be challenging for both teams, and Clemson is hard at work preparing to take on the other Tigers from the SEC.

Head coach Dabo Swinney, co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott and some players met with the media after Thursday’s practice to discuss the progress being made.

Here is what we heard:

Elliott is studying a lot of film to prepare for what Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele has in store.

“We’re having a chance, now that camp is over and we’re back in school, to get a good look at them on film and kind of figure out what they’re going to do,” Elliott said. “Obviously you’re looking at what Coach Steele did at LSU last year, and what they did this spring in the spring game, just trying to turn over every stone in anticipation of what we’re going to see. But it’s been good prep so far.”

Steele served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Clemson from 2009-2011 under Swinney. Elliott joined the staff at the tail end of Steele’s time, and says he sees some similarity in what Steele does defensively at other schools to what he did in his time at Clemson. However, there are also differences to account for.

“You see a lot of similarity, but you also see some things he’s doing differently. Obviously, he has an Alabama background, so he’s worked with Nick Saban. He knows that odd front, so you see him jumping in and out of structure a lot like he did here a lot,” Elliott said. “He can play odd, he can play four down, he can play man coverage, he can play zone. Their guys do a really good job of disguising coverage, so you see a lot similarities to when he was here, but you also see a couple of changes, as well, that you’ve seen him develop over the years.”

As for Auburn’s defensive personnel, Elliott said defensive end Carl Lawson really jumps out at him.

“He’s as fast as anyone we’re going to see coming off the edge,” Elliott said. “I know he’s going to be anxious to play. He got hurt early in his career and missed some games last year, so he’s going to be excited. But he’s going to be as fast as anybody we see come off the edge.”

Offensive lineman Tyrone Crowder also spoke highly of both Lawson and defensive lineman Montravius Adams, but said he is confident in the offensive line’s ability to handle talented playmakers.

“They are really physical and explosive. They do a lot of stunts,” Crowder said. “They have some funky stuff they like to use but nothing we can’t handle.”

As for Clemson’s defense, Swinney noted that he is happy to have cornerback Marcus Edmond back, but that he will not start against Auburn. He did mention that although the injury set Edmond back, it allowed for some other guys like Ryan Carter, Mark Fields and Trayvon Mullen to get meaningful reps.

“It’s good to see him back out there. He has to get in shape, and when I say shape, I mean he has to get in football shape,” Swinney said. “He got hurt Day 1, so he missed a ton of work. So he is certainly not in a position to where he could go start the game for us, but he is going to be able to play if we need him to. I’m more just focused on getting back and getting him dialed in and ready to go for the long term of the season.”