Clemson Tigers College Football Pregame Quote, 12/26/2018

Were you here for the 2015 game? I was. Any time you have a big win against a good team and it’s a hard-fought win early in the season, that’s always good for your team, regardless of whoever you play. So, when you get one like that, it shows how balanced that team is and what the mindset is and you’re going to fight to the very end. That’s what I take away from a game like that. Any close game you play in, it shows how strong the team is. And that’s what you need in a game like this. Because you’re playing against a good team. And that very well might be what happens. It might go down to the wire. And you want to know that you’re battle-tested.

How does Brent [Venables] get the most out of you? He gives us everything he has. He doesn’t just ask for our best and he’s not going to give us his. That’s what I feel like he gives us every single day, not just his best in the film or his best from our meetings. But, when he’s on the practice field, his intensity is the same ask as what he wants us to feel. We’ve got to match his intensity. I love that.

How does he remain so intense all the time? Can guys match his intensity? You can match it. But it’s about being consistent. That’s the hard part. Being consistent. I’m not going to give him too much credit. He’s not out there getting hit every play or getting tackled. He’s scouting. So I want to see can he still be running around screaming after getting tackled and hit in the mouth every play. But definitely just the whole mindset is something he really brings to hold us accountable.

Talking a little about Christian [Wilkins] and what he brings as a leader. He certainly seems to keep it light. Is that his role on the team to sort of keep it light? I mean, he’s a very, very serious person when it comes to football. He takes it very, very seriously. And that’s what I feel when we’re off the field is just who he is right now. Just fun lover, like you said, keeps it light. When we’re on the field, he’s a very serious person. But, when he makes plays, that’s when he goes back to him having fun. But he’s a very serious person when it comes down to that.

That’s what I love about him. I’d rather somebody be annoyingly positive than somebody who is just detrimentally negative. That sucks. A lot of times his positivity gets on your nerves. You can’t be mad at him for it. When you’re having your worst day, you see him having a smile on his face and trying to get you up. And then it’s going to make you get out of that negative attitude. And that’s huge.

What do people need to know about Albert [Huggins] and Nyles [Pinckney] particularly this week? That they’re not nervous or afraid of this opportunity. They’re battle tested. Both of them have played starter reps before. Especially Albert. I consider Albert a starter regardless of what game you play. So we really just look at it as no big changeup. Really. Obviously, there’s a reason why Dexter [Lawrence] is out there. And you can’t really replace a Dexter as far as what he brings. But Albert brings a skill set that’s unique as well.

What’s unique about it? Just his strength and his overall just presence on the field is really, really big. He’s a very, very strong player. He has a natural just kind of bulldoze strength to him. And he has quickness to match it. Albert is an intelligent person as well, too. Game plans come to him easy. I feel like he’s going to have a good performance.