Clemson's 5 lessons learned from playoff experience
Clemson didn’t just play in its first national title game in 36 years last season, it made its first College Football Playoff.
This year, Clemson’s back in the final four, playing Ohio State on Dec. 31 in the Fiesta Bowl and looking to draw upon lessons learned in 2015. Here are five takeaways the Tigers received from that experience.
Good on good
Everybody’s got players at this point, so the Tigers know performing well against each other in practice is a great way of preparing for the Buckeyes. That breeds confidence.
Commit to fundamentals
A simple quarterback-running back exchange, something Deshaun Watson and Wayne Gallman had done a million times in games and practices last year, didn’t go cleanly, and it resulted in a turnover against Alabama in the national title game loss.
“Just a momentary lapse of concentration results in three or four plays making the difference in a championship (game),” co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said.
Plan to play two
Last year, coach Dabo Swinney didn’t know how to prepare his team for possibly two games in 11 days. When the Tigers beat Oklahoma 37-17 in the 2015 Orange Bowl, Clemson got the full playoff experience. They’re more prepared if they beat the Buckeyes to take on either Alabama or Washington in Tampa.
Manage the noise
One of Swinney’s most repetitive sayings is every game is the biggest of the year. That helps the Tigers to focus and avoid pressure when a really big game like this shows up. They learned to treat a semifinal like any other bowl game mentally, but there are more distractions and more media sessions to throw them off.
Finish with no regrets
This is Clemson’s mantra in 2016. The Tigers lost 45-40 to the Crimson Tide and got just enough of a title taste that it’s been the driving force to get back. This time, they want to do something special.
“We understand that we’re back here because we earned the right to be back here,” Elliott said. “What are we going to do this year so that we can finish?”