The bye week came at a beneficial time for No. 2 Clemson last week. Despite a perfect 5-0 record thus far, the Tigers have attracted much criticism from the national media.

But as always, head coach Dabo Swinney does not let the outside noise affect his players.

Running back Travis Etienne got to spend the off weekend relaxing in his home state of Louisiana, something he doesn’t get to do often during the season.

“It was really good to get back home,” Etienne said on Monday. “I got to watch my little brother play some football and actually got some gumbo while I was home too.”

Etienne’s younger brother Trevor is a sophomore running back at Jennings High School in Jennings, La. Much like his older brother, he is a stellar athlete who is already getting college offers.

“We actually have a lot of similarities, but differences, I feel like he sees the field much better than I did,” Etienne said. “He’s definitely bigger than I was in high school. He’s fast too.

“Honestly, he surprised me Friday when I was watching him because that’s one of the first times I’ve gotten to see him play. He’s really good. I didn’t know what to expect but he surprised me.”

Despite Etienne’s knowledge and skill set, he doesn’t try to coach his brother too much but rather lets him figure it out on his own.

“I try not to tell him much because he wants to figure it out on his own,” he said. “So, if I have a little something I’ll tell him but I really don’t give him advice unless he asks for it.”

With the bye week now wrapped up, it is time for Clemson (5-0, 3-0 ACC) to turn its attention to Florida State, as the Seminoles (3-2, 2-1 ACC) come to Death Valley this Saturday for a 3:30 p.m, kick.

Etienne says the first part of the season has been a learning experience and there are takeaways from every game. However, he also feels they are on the right track for success.

“We have a lot we could get better from and just have to keep progressing through the season,” he said. “We’re not where we want to be yet but I feel like we are heading in the right direction. Saturday (against North Carolina) showed us that if we don’t have the right mentality going into the game, anything can happen and we just have cannot take anything for granted.”

“I feel like I’ve been doing a good job of just the little things,” he continued. “Just becoming a more complete back. I feel like the season is going in the right direction for us and we’re 5-0 so you couldn’t ask for anything better.”

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