Focus in place after break
Tyshon Dye didn’t spend his spring break at the beach.
The Clemson running back didn’t let football get out of his mind during a lengthy break between spring practices.
Dye went home to Elberton, Ga., last week and got his mother and brothers to help him retain what he’d been working on through the first two weeks of workouts.
“In my case, I felt like I had to (do extra work),” Dye, a rising redshirt sophomore, said Monday. “I didn’t have time for a break. I felt like I needed that time to get a little better and worked out and went over the plays.”
Dye was one of several Tigers who made sure they didn’t let the time off deter their progress. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said he didn’t have an issue with guys getting away from the game for a few days, but he also challenged his players before they left to “keep moving forward” and “stay sharp” mentally.
“I thought we did that today,” Swinney said Monday. “A few guys maybe I felt like were still on spring break, but for the most part, I thought the guys came to work today and were very focused on what we’re trying to do. We’ve got a lot of work to do these next three weeks. It’s critical. We’ve got a lot of development and evaluation to get done in the next three weeks.”
Clemson is seven practices in with seven practices to go before the April 11 Orange and White spring game. Co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott said he could tell the difference Monday between the guys who took the layoff serious from the ones who “had a lot of fun.”
“There’s a lot of competition, and when you have a competition I think the guys pay more attention in meetings and the attention and effort is a little bit better,” Scott said. “I thought it was one of our better days coming off a long break.”
Tempo and speed, and handling those things well when tired, were important for the offense Monday, Scott said.
Dye said he thought his side of the ball had one turnover on the day.
Linebacker B.J. Goodson said the defense came back prepared to work as well.
“We had a great first day back off of spring break,” Goodson said. “There were pretty much not any drop-offs.”
The halfway point also marks a shift in the way practices will go the rest of the way. The first half was about fundamentals, techniques and installing parts of the playbook.
The second half will be more about taking a deeper look at players who can compete this fall, beginning with Wednesday’s first full scrimmage inside Death Valley.
“I’m really anxious to see them perform where it’s not scripted, situational type of things,” Swinney said. “It’s put the ball down and go play. It’ll be a big day for a lot of these guys.”
Scott pinpointed several players he’s looking to see play well in the scrimmage, namely younger players. He wants to see what Dye and C.J. Fuller can do in a crowded backfield because the coaches haven’t gotten a long look at those two in live action.
Scott is interested to see if receivers Trevion Thompson, Hunter Renfrow and Germone Hopper can carry their stellar play in practice to game situations. It also will be the first look at how the four freshmen offensive linemen, including 5-star prospect Mitch Hyatt, handle live pressure.
“The big thing we’re looking for in spring ball is progress,” Scott said. “It’s not really about the end result or how many yards and touchdowns you score and all that. It’s really about each position, players specifically making progress through each of the practices. We’re at the micro level in spring ball. You’re not worried about the whole thing right now.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2015 at 11:37 PM with the headline "Focus in place after break."