Are Clemson’s freshmen ready for a tough road environment? Tigers coaches weigh in
Clemson received contributions from a number of freshmen in its season-opening win against Furman this past weekend.
The Tigers will now face a much stiffer challenge at Texas A&M, and freshmen will be counted on to perform well once again, this time in front of 102,000 fans on the road as opposed to 80,000 fans at home.
Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables has no problem playing newcomers in a tough environment early in the season.
“If they’re getting on the bus, we feel confident enough in them. They’ve gotta earn the right to play snaps. That’s what you always do during the course of the week. But absolutely,” Venables said. “A bunch of guys played and a bunch of guys played well and everything matters. That’s a big part of it, though. Getting in the game and then performing well, as far as building that trust.”
Freshman defensive end Xavier Thomas recorded a tackle for loss against the Paladins, while fellow defensive end K.J. Henry recovered a fumble in the opener.
Cornerbacks Kyler McMichael and Mario Goodrich also logged several snaps.
Offensively, Clemson received contributions from quarterback Trevor Lawrence, receivers Justyn Ross and Derion Kendrick, running back Lyn-J Dixon and tight end Braden Galloway.
Co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott added that he came away impressed with the way the freshmen performed.
“There wasn’t anybody offensively that we were disappointed with as a whole or thought he’s not quite ready for that yet,” Scott said. “Now, it’s a huge step up this week going on the road in that environment and playing a very talented defense. It will be different than playing at home in an opener here. But I think we were encouraged with the young guys.”
DYNAMIC BACKFIELD
Texas A&M running back Trayveon Williams and quarterback Kellen Mond will provide a tough challenge for the Tigers on Saturday.
Williams rushed for 240 yards and three touchdowns in the opener against Northwestern State after finishing with 798 yards and eight touchdowns last season.
“Yea, he’s very explosive, got great balance, good speed, good vision, instincts, can really accelerate,” Venables said. “He can run through trash and get outside and split the defense, so a very, very good player.”
Mond can hurt defenses with his arm and his legs. He completed 17 of 25 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns in the opener and also rushed for a score.
Last season, Mond rushed for 340 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 1,375 yards with eight touchdowns and six interceptions.
“He’s got good awareness and just very savvy with what he’s doing, doesn’t get rattled and keeps his eyes down the field to make things happen and extend plays,” Venables said. “Those are always the most dangerous kind of quarterbacks.”
READY FOR A JUMP
Clemson had an impressive performance against the Paladins, but Scott still found plenty of problems for the offense to clean up.
He expects the Tigers to be much sharper this Saturday after ironing out some wrinkles in the opener.
“As coaches, we expect the biggest jump from game one to game two with all the learning that takes place,” Scott said. “That will be a big part of our focus, corrections and things we need to get cleaned up to get ready for Texas A&M.”
This story was originally published September 4, 2018 at 12:48 PM.