What Clemson’s young receivers must do to have success against Alabama

Clemson has a deep and talented receiving corps that is widely considered to be one of the best in the country.

That group will face likely its biggest test of the season in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama.

The Tigers are led by veterans Deon Cain, Hunter Renfrow and Ray-Ray McCloud but have also leaned on their younger wide outs as well.

Clemson has five first- or second-year players who have played in at least 12 of its 13 games this season, and the young group has made some critical catches. To continue its success against Alabama, the freshmen and sophomores will have to be ready to match the Crimson Tide’s physicality.

“I went back and showed my guys the last two years, all the passes we caught and the balls we didn’t catch and why, because you want those young guys, those freshmen, to be able to see it and learn from the good and the bad,” Clemson co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach Jeff Scott said. “We don’t want there to be any surprise when they step on the field of how physical the matchups are going to be.”

Tee Higgins has been the biggest contributor among Clemson’s young receivers, particularly late in the season.

Higgins did not have a catch against Miami in the ACC title game but combined to catch nine passes for 262 yards and two scores the previous two weeks against The Citadel and South Carolina.

The Tennessee native has shown flashes of being a special player but is still getting used to the speed and physicality of college football. Kelly Bryant’s only interception against South Carolina came when Higgins was battling with a cornerback for inside position and was beat to the spot on a slant.

“We talk about that all the time,” Scott said of needing to be physical. “Really this late in the year when you start getting to these championship games it’s all about matchups… Our wide outs have a huge matchup with their DBs.”

Cain found some success against Alabama’s vaunted secondary last year, catching five passes for 94 yards, and said he has spent time leading up to the game talking with the younger wide outs about what they must do against the Crimson Tide.

“Alabama’s going to be wherever they’re supposed to be. That’s the main thing you’ve gotta respect about them,” Cain said. “You’re hardly going to see blown coverages or people not where they’re supposed to be. We know we’ve gotta make the contested plays because we know they’re going to be there.”

Whether it’s Higgins, Amari Rodgers, Diondre Overton, Cornell Powell or T.J. Chase, the Tigers will need some of their younger receivers to step up as Alabama tries to take away Clemson’s top options.

“The young guys have been a great help for us. They’re young, they’re smart, they’re athletic. They’re very fast, especially talking about Tee Higgins. A very big asset that’s going to help us throughout these playoffs just because of his size and his athletic ability,” Cain said. “I just try to keep them all level-headed.”

This story was originally published December 26, 2017 at 3:26 PM with the headline "What Clemson’s young receivers must do to have success against Alabama."