How watching Allen Iverson inspired Clelin Ferrell to play his best in big games

Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell has five sacks in the Tigers’ four games against ranked opponents this season. That’s not a coincidence.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney encourages his players to treat every game the same, but Ferrell lives for the big moment.

“Those are the games I look forward to,” he said. “If you want to be a really, really good player, you have to perform on a stage like that. I just feel like I have to bring my ‘A’ game for games like that, because I don’t want to be the reason why my team doesn’t have success.”

Ferrell formed that mindset growing up watching NBA Hall of Fame guard Allen Iverson.

The Virginia native was such a fan of Iverson, he tried to grow an afro so he could have corn rows like Iverson’s, and he always wore the No. 3 jersey.

He still talks about Iverson to his Clemson teammates, particularly the 2001 NBA Finals series against the Los Angeles Lakers when Iverson scored 48 points in Game 1.

“You see a little guy out there battling, giving his heart out. It wasn’t always about talent because you had guys like Kobe and Shaq he was playing against, it was more of just a heart thing with him,” Ferrell said. “He had that, ‘Won’t be denied’ mentality. That was huge for me seeing that type of thing.”

Ferrell is far from a little guy, but he does try to play with the same heart and determination he saw from Iverson.

“That’s one of the things I feel like you have to play with if you’re going to be a great player,” he said. “You can’t play for accolades. You have to play because you love this game and you’re passionate about it.”

Ferrell entered the season as a promising young player, but an unknown after redshirting last season. After a relatively quiet start to the year, he had a breakout game against then-No. 3 Louisville. Ferrell sacked Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson twice and finished with six total tackles as the Tigers beat Louisville 42-36.

The performance gave Ferrell reassurance he’s good enough to make plays in big-time college football.

“That was very huge for me. And those sacks were against a guy who has a lot of hype like Lamar Jackson against a very good, dynamic offense,” Ferrell said. “The Louisville game was one of the games where I felt like, ‘OK, well now I know that I can play at this level, and I feel I can have success if I just keep working hard and doing the right things.’ ”

A few weeks later, Ferrell had two tackles for loss and a sack against Florida State. As the games have gotten bigger his play has improved.

In the ACC Championship Game against Virginia Tech, Ferrell made six tackles with two for loss and a sack. In the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State, he had three tackles for loss with a sack.

“He’s one of the guys that has just gotten better and better the whole season. It’s not real magical. He’s just worked really hard,” Tigers defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. “He pays attention. He’s been a detailed guy. He’s continued to do extra in the weight room on days he doesn’t have to. It’s neat to see him really kind of take off from where he started at the beginning of the year to where he’s at now. He’s really had an excellent year and had a great game last game. I think that will continue moving forward.”

Ferrell is hoping to finish the season with another strong performance in the biggest game of the year to help Clemson win its first national title since 1981.

“Obviously, some games are more juicier than others,” Ferrell said. “Those are the games I look forward to because when you want to be known as a great player and everybody’s watching this specific game, it’s one of those things where you feel like, ‘OK, this is my chance to get my name out there a little bit or go out there and perform and show my talents.’ ”

This story was originally published January 7, 2017 at 5:10 PM with the headline "How watching Allen Iverson inspired Clelin Ferrell to play his best in big games."