WEBVTT - Only Homers Allowed: Clemson with Larry Williams 0:00:02.080 --> 0:00:04.720 Welcome to the Solid Verbal. 0:00:04.880 --> 0:00:08.200 I'll that for me. I'm a man, I'm forty. 0:00:08.280 --> 0:00:10.119 I've heard so many players say, well, I want to 0:00:10.160 --> 0:00:13.000 be happy. You want to be happy for dake Edo State? 0:00:13.360 --> 0:00:14.440 Is that whoo whoom? 0:00:14.960 --> 0:00:21.959 And Dan and Tye welcome back to the Solid Verbal. 0:00:22.000 --> 0:00:25.840 Boys and girls. My name is ty hilden Brandt. As 0:00:25.840 --> 0:00:28.360 you can tell from the title of this show, it 0:00:28.440 --> 0:00:33.479 is yet another installment of our only Homers Allowed series? 0:00:33.520 --> 0:00:38.880 Would you let in Homer Clublet look, it has no homeers, 0:00:39.120 --> 0:00:44.680 We're allowed to one. I felt so left jed, and 0:00:44.720 --> 0:00:47.600 today we're pleased to welcome back to the show mister 0:00:47.720 --> 0:00:50.919 Larry Williams from Tiger Illustrated dot Com. We actually had 0:00:51.040 --> 0:00:54.360 Larry on the show way back when, like six years 0:00:54.400 --> 0:00:57.560 ago to talk about Clemson, and it's been far too long. 0:00:57.920 --> 0:01:00.120 When we put the call out for folks to tell 0:01:00.200 --> 0:01:02.959 us who do you want to have on to represent 0:01:03.040 --> 0:01:06.880 your school, Larry Williams was the overwhelming favorite for the 0:01:06.880 --> 0:01:09.480 Clemson Tigers. So we're going to get into all things Clemson, 0:01:09.560 --> 0:01:14.000 from Trevor Lawrence to the obvious beast that is the 0:01:14.000 --> 0:01:18.319 Clemson defensive line, and also this state of affairs in 0:01:18.319 --> 0:01:22.520 college football, the rise of Clemson really at the same 0:01:22.600 --> 0:01:26.319 time as the rise of Alabama, and how it feels 0:01:26.319 --> 0:01:29.560 this year anyway, like the two programs are destined to 0:01:29.600 --> 0:01:31.800 meet in the National Championship. So all that and more, 0:01:31.920 --> 0:01:35.400 Larry gave us so much insight. Appreciate everyone tuning in. 0:01:35.720 --> 0:01:40.080 Don't forget we also have another only Homers Allowed episode, 0:01:40.360 --> 0:01:43.640 Dan recorded with our friend Ryan Abraham to talk about 0:01:43.640 --> 0:01:47.199 the state of affairs at Southern cal So without further ado, 0:01:47.680 --> 0:01:52.360 ladies and gentlemen, Larry Williams all right, I am joined 0:01:52.400 --> 0:01:57.240 now by the foremost authority on Clemson football. He writes 0:01:57.280 --> 0:02:01.840 for Tiger Illustrated dot com, he hosts the outstanding Clemson 0:02:01.920 --> 0:02:05.200 Dubcast podcast, and of course he is the author of 0:02:05.320 --> 0:02:10.400 Clemson Tough, Guts and Glory under Dabos Sweeney. Please welcome 0:02:10.440 --> 0:02:13.480 back to the show, mister Larry Williams, Sir, how are you. 0:02:14.400 --> 0:02:17.160 Hey man, Great to be with you, ty, enjoy your podcast. 0:02:17.480 --> 0:02:20.200 Thank you. You know you were on the podcast like 0:02:20.360 --> 0:02:22.639 six years ago. I went back and checked. The last 0:02:22.680 --> 0:02:26.119 time you were on with us was way back when 0:02:26.160 --> 0:02:27.080 in twenty twelve. 0:02:27.960 --> 0:02:31.760 Well, I shudder to think at some of the questions 0:02:31.760 --> 0:02:33.400 and I shudder to think it probably some of the 0:02:33.440 --> 0:02:38.040 answers I gave given the different state of the program 0:02:38.520 --> 0:02:39.760 now compared to then. 0:02:40.480 --> 0:02:42.919 Walk me through how the program has changed over the 0:02:43.000 --> 0:02:44.120 last six years. 0:02:45.040 --> 0:02:48.560 Well, when we last talked, I'm assuming that was well 0:02:48.639 --> 0:02:53.519 either before or during the twelve season, and so you're 0:02:53.520 --> 0:02:56.920 in the first year in the Brin's Nivals, and he 0:02:57.040 --> 0:03:00.839 was struggling. They were not near what they are now. 0:03:00.919 --> 0:03:03.000 They I mean, they gave up forty eight points to 0:03:03.080 --> 0:03:06.960 NC State that year I believe like sixty sixty two 0:03:07.000 --> 0:03:10.359 to forty eight. They got just dragged up and down 0:03:10.400 --> 0:03:14.000 the field late at Florida State, and they really were 0:03:14.040 --> 0:03:19.239 still known as sort of that Tommy Balden type rollercoaster 0:03:20.880 --> 0:03:25.040 that could they could bag some big wins, but that 0:03:25.160 --> 0:03:27.360 would fall on their face and and they so they 0:03:27.400 --> 0:03:31.160 were just several months removed from seventy to thirty three. 0:03:32.680 --> 0:03:37.120 Against West Virginia in the Orange Bowl. The narrative after 0:03:37.280 --> 0:03:41.560 that debacle sort of nationally was, boy, it's going to 0:03:41.600 --> 0:03:44.720 take them a long time to recover from this. And 0:03:44.920 --> 0:03:50.120 so a year later that went over LSU in the 0:03:50.320 --> 0:03:53.400 in the Chick fil A Bowl, was so big there 0:03:53.520 --> 0:03:56.440 was a feeling that they just can't hold up against 0:03:57.560 --> 0:04:01.040 some of these SEC heavyweights, and not many people thought 0:04:01.040 --> 0:04:03.400 they were going to be able to hang with LSU, 0:04:04.120 --> 0:04:06.240 let alone beat them, And so they did. They won 0:04:06.320 --> 0:04:11.640 that game. And then in the thirteenth opener, Georgia goes 0:04:11.840 --> 0:04:15.720 to Clemson with Todd Gurley. I remember that game, yeah, 0:04:16.000 --> 0:04:19.840 very yeah, great game, yep. And so here's how I 0:04:20.080 --> 0:04:23.960 sort of view it. In the LSU game in Atlanta, 0:04:24.120 --> 0:04:26.960 the defensive line owned that game. And there's a bunch 0:04:27.000 --> 0:04:31.040 of young defensive linemen like Grady Jarrett and Vic Beasley 0:04:31.200 --> 0:04:36.480 and Corey Crawford. Yeah, and so then against Georgia, even 0:04:36.520 --> 0:04:39.040 though Georgia put up thirty five in that game, if 0:04:39.120 --> 0:04:43.200 you go back and watch, Clemson's defensive line controlled that game. 0:04:43.360 --> 0:04:47.720 And so Clemson is always even under Tommy Balden. He's 0:04:47.760 --> 0:04:53.360 always had elite skill guys, right, sure, But where they 0:04:53.520 --> 0:04:57.520 really turn the corner is when they started getting big 0:04:57.640 --> 0:05:02.400 time players on the defensive line. So that's really where 0:05:03.560 --> 0:05:06.640 they got to the level where they could they could 0:05:06.680 --> 0:05:08.480 go toe to toe with the heavy weight. 0:05:09.360 --> 0:05:12.919 So you mentioned the defensive line, and you know, I mean, 0:05:12.960 --> 0:05:16.159 we're covering fifty games a week here on the podcast, 0:05:16.279 --> 0:05:19.800 and for me, I'm always trying to figure out what 0:05:20.000 --> 0:05:23.239 is a team's identity that's going to help me understand 0:05:23.279 --> 0:05:26.560 what they're all about. My thirty thousand foot view of 0:05:26.640 --> 0:05:30.040 Clemson is that their defense is going to kill you 0:05:30.120 --> 0:05:33.279 in the trenches because of that front four, and they're 0:05:33.320 --> 0:05:36.760 going to set up an offense that is increasingly more 0:05:36.880 --> 0:05:40.120 balanced as the pieces around Trevor Lawrence as Trevor Lawrence 0:05:40.240 --> 0:05:44.800 himself develops. I've I've kind of referred to it casually 0:05:44.800 --> 0:05:47.839 as like an upscale Michigan. Is that a fair assessment 0:05:48.040 --> 0:05:50.279 of who Clemson is as a team. 0:05:52.400 --> 0:05:55.240 Well, I think so. I mean, you know, I don't 0:05:55.760 --> 0:05:58.039 watch a lot of Michigan, but I woulday I would 0:05:58.040 --> 0:06:03.480 say defensively, yes, Offensively, Michigan is more traditional, I guess, 0:06:04.960 --> 0:06:08.320 whereas Clemson, you know, dating back to the days of 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:11.200 Chad Morris. Uh, and they were really cutting edge when 0:06:11.240 --> 0:06:14.680 Marris first got here because in the a SEC there 0:06:14.760 --> 0:06:19.039 was nobody else doing the the tempo, the hurry up, 0:06:19.120 --> 0:06:24.520 no huddle stuff that he brought from Tulsa. So Clemson 0:06:24.600 --> 0:06:26.599 is more conventional than they used to be, but only 0:06:26.760 --> 0:06:31.480 conventional because everybody else is doing what Clemson used to 0:06:31.600 --> 0:06:35.600 be innovative doing if that makes any sense. Sure, but 0:06:35.800 --> 0:06:39.960 there's still a spread offense and they still have a 0:06:40.000 --> 0:06:42.200 lot of bells and whistles, a lot of eye candy, 0:06:42.360 --> 0:06:47.640 and so I would I would, I guess, consider them 0:06:47.680 --> 0:06:52.840 different from Michigan in that respect. I mean maybe, I 0:06:52.880 --> 0:06:55.440 don't know, maybe a little like Florida State during the 0:06:56.880 --> 0:07:00.560 you know, during the nineties. Yeah, offensively, And in fact, 0:07:01.040 --> 0:07:04.359 that's what this feels like. Clemson in the ACC feels 0:07:04.400 --> 0:07:07.440 like Florida State and the ACC in the nineties when 0:07:07.440 --> 0:07:10.440 the Seminoles were like seventy and two or something ridiculous 0:07:10.520 --> 0:07:15.520 like that, when there was just no hope for anybody 0:07:15.560 --> 0:07:20.840 else to dethrone them. And honestly, I hate to sound 0:07:20.920 --> 0:07:25.960 like a Pollyanna here, but let me ask you, in 0:07:26.080 --> 0:07:28.920 the ACC over the next three to five years, who 0:07:29.040 --> 0:07:30.320 is Clemson's biggest threat. 0:07:31.240 --> 0:07:33.840 Yeah, we were just talking about that. We were talking 0:07:33.880 --> 0:07:37.960 about that on our show yesterday. It's a pretty steep 0:07:38.120 --> 0:07:42.360 drop from Clemson to the next best team. And given 0:07:42.400 --> 0:07:44.400 the state, you would think it would be Florida State 0:07:44.480 --> 0:07:48.600 before long Clemson entered this season, so they win the ACC. 0:07:48.800 --> 0:07:52.040 Year ago, they made the College Football Playoff, they lose, 0:07:52.120 --> 0:07:55.960 of course, to the eventual national champion Alabama. They enter 0:07:56.120 --> 0:07:59.920 this season with a large chunk of that team in tact, 0:08:00.120 --> 0:08:05.400 including Kelly Bryant, who was their starting quarterback. Yet from 0:08:05.480 --> 0:08:08.920 the moment, the very moment we started talking about the 0:08:09.000 --> 0:08:12.520 twenty eighteen season, it was like a foregone conclusion that 0:08:12.800 --> 0:08:14.880 Trevor Lawrence is going to take that job from him 0:08:15.000 --> 0:08:18.040 a true freshman, mind you, a foregone conclusion that he 0:08:18.240 --> 0:08:20.600 was going to overtake Kelly Bryant. He was going to 0:08:20.640 --> 0:08:21.800 be the starter, and he was going to do it 0:08:21.880 --> 0:08:26.120 relatively quickly. I am fascinated by this Larry on like 0:08:26.280 --> 0:08:29.760 eighteen different levels, but I think mostly by the fact 0:08:29.800 --> 0:08:33.959 that there was so little controversy around it. 0:08:35.160 --> 0:08:39.880 When Kelly Bryant decided to transfer, there was controversy only 0:08:40.120 --> 0:08:42.319 in that I think it was a surprise to a 0:08:42.400 --> 0:08:45.000 lot of people that he decided to up and leave. 0:08:45.520 --> 0:08:50.640 In The controversial part came with the sort of parting 0:08:50.760 --> 0:08:54.439 shots that he that he gave when he left, like 0:08:55.000 --> 0:08:59.360 it wasn't your typical release a statement through the school's 0:08:59.520 --> 0:09:05.079 communications department. He told the Greenville News that it was 0:09:05.120 --> 0:09:07.400 a slap. He felt like he was treated unfairly and 0:09:07.440 --> 0:09:10.120 then it was a slap in the face that most 0:09:10.240 --> 0:09:12.800 certainly threw a lot of Clemson fans for a loop, 0:09:13.280 --> 0:09:15.920 and it created sort of an air of controversy, I 0:09:15.960 --> 0:09:19.360 guess because you have some national pundits like I think 0:09:19.440 --> 0:09:23.560 Desmond Howard maybe a couple of others, who were echoing 0:09:23.679 --> 0:09:27.520 that that he wasn't that Bryant wasn't treated fairly. I, 0:09:27.720 --> 0:09:31.880 on the other hand, I believe the exact opposite. I mean, 0:09:31.920 --> 0:09:36.880 I think he was treated more than fairly, because I mean, 0:09:36.960 --> 0:09:42.079 Dad was Sweeney's m for years now, and you could 0:09:42.120 --> 0:09:45.760 see clear evidence of it in twenty fourteen Deshaun Watson's 0:09:46.600 --> 0:09:52.160 freshman season, similar situation where Cole Stout started the first 0:09:52.200 --> 0:09:57.560 few games, and where you could have made a legitimate 0:09:57.640 --> 0:10:00.960 argument that Deshaun could have should have started from from 0:10:01.520 --> 0:10:06.400 snap one day one that season. Fast forwarding to this year, 0:10:06.440 --> 0:10:08.720 you could have made a legitimate argument that Trevor Lawrence 0:10:09.400 --> 0:10:10.959 should have started from snap one. 0:10:11.120 --> 0:10:14.120 But here's here's where I think the difference is. Most 0:10:14.240 --> 0:10:18.920 quarterback changes are due to poor performance or attrition. Kelly 0:10:18.960 --> 0:10:22.880 Bryant wasn't perfect, right, but he was by no means bad. 0:10:22.960 --> 0:10:24.920 There are a lot of teams still that'll take Kelly 0:10:24.960 --> 0:10:30.080 Bryant instead. This was just like, hey, guys, we're going 0:10:30.160 --> 0:10:33.000 to start a true freshman, and you're all going to 0:10:33.040 --> 0:10:35.240 be cool with that, okay. Like the fact that there 0:10:35.440 --> 0:10:40.600 wasn't more pomp and circumstance around this quarterback switch has 0:10:40.640 --> 0:10:42.599 sort of amazed me. Everyone just accepted it. 0:10:42.920 --> 0:10:48.319 No, I agreed. And one key point is that the 0:10:48.720 --> 0:10:50.840 DA was twenty and the rest of the coaches they 0:10:51.720 --> 0:10:55.320 never considered it, Okay, it's Trevor's job now for good. 0:10:55.559 --> 0:11:01.280 They considered the competition to be continuing before Kelly Bryant 0:11:01.280 --> 0:11:04.719 decided to leave. But you know, Kelly could have won 0:11:04.800 --> 0:11:08.640 the job back. And in fact, you know, the first 0:11:08.760 --> 0:11:12.600 game of Trevor Lawrence starting was against Syracuse. They were 0:11:12.679 --> 0:11:16.560 not that good before Trevor Lawrence got hurt in that game. Okay, 0:11:16.640 --> 0:11:19.240 he was not playing all that well. So it's very 0:11:19.600 --> 0:11:23.760 it's completely conceivable that Kelly Bryant could have played well 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:26.640 in that game, led them to a win, maybe a 0:11:26.720 --> 0:11:30.520 decisive win, and he could have been starting again in 0:11:30.600 --> 0:11:34.040 the following week against wake Forest. But to your point, yes, 0:11:34.120 --> 0:11:37.720 I mean, Trevor Lawrence is just that good. I mean 0:11:37.720 --> 0:11:42.439 I remember back in the spring where I really what 0:11:42.640 --> 0:11:47.680 really got my attention is when some of the assistant 0:11:47.720 --> 0:11:51.199 coaches were asked, Okay, where is Trevor compared to where 0:11:51.320 --> 0:11:54.199 dex I'm sorry, Deshaun Watson was at the same point 0:11:55.320 --> 0:11:59.760 of his freshman offseason after enrolling early, and they had 0:11:59.800 --> 0:12:02.680 no problem saying, yeah, he's right at the same level, 0:12:02.760 --> 0:12:08.960 probably probably higher. And so the fact that the fact 0:12:09.000 --> 0:12:14.800 that the coaches had no problem publicly stating that, and 0:12:14.920 --> 0:12:16.640 most of the time they're wanting to pump the brakes 0:12:16.760 --> 0:12:20.360 on the anticipation surrounding a highly regarded freshman even if 0:12:20.400 --> 0:12:23.520 he is all that, But the fact that they held 0:12:23.640 --> 0:12:27.559 this kid in that high regard. I mean, and I 0:12:27.679 --> 0:12:31.640 was hearing sort of behind the scenes, not from stuff 0:12:31.679 --> 0:12:35.280 they were saying publicly, but just from sort of a 0:12:35.280 --> 0:12:38.199 little rumblings you get that they were saying privately, he's 0:12:38.240 --> 0:12:42.319 the best quarterback they'd ever seen. And so that's amazing, 0:12:42.400 --> 0:12:45.160 and I think he has shown that to date. Now 0:12:45.200 --> 0:12:46.520 he's not a finished product. 0:12:46.840 --> 0:12:49.280 Right Well, that was gonna be my next question. How 0:12:49.320 --> 0:12:52.640 do you grade what you've seen from Trevor Lawrence? Because 0:12:52.679 --> 0:12:55.679 the move was ballsy by any stretch, I don't care. 0:12:55.760 --> 0:12:58.959 It was a ballsy maneuver to bench Kelly Bryant, to 0:12:59.080 --> 0:13:03.040 put in a kid who had zero zero experience at 0:13:03.080 --> 0:13:06.480 the major college level at least two down at Alabama 0:13:06.840 --> 0:13:09.559 had a really good half and won a championship and 0:13:09.720 --> 0:13:13.400 played in spot duty here and there. But Trevor Lawrence 0:13:13.600 --> 0:13:16.080 was a blank slate for him to come in first off, 0:13:16.120 --> 0:13:18.520 get the job, and then for Dabbo to be willing 0:13:18.640 --> 0:13:22.439 enough to stick with him. He's clearly gotten better throughout 0:13:22.480 --> 0:13:24.360 the course of the season. How would you grade what 0:13:24.520 --> 0:13:26.160 you've seen so far and where he's at? 0:13:27.120 --> 0:13:30.719 Oh? Man, I mean it's flying colors. I mean, and 0:13:30.800 --> 0:13:33.679 you can have a you can have an AA without 0:13:33.760 --> 0:13:36.599 being totally perfect, you know, sure, and you have to 0:13:36.640 --> 0:13:38.199 grade on a bit of a curve given that he's 0:13:38.240 --> 0:13:44.160 a first year freshman. I just really like Number one, 0:13:44.559 --> 0:13:49.640 the way he's handled it, the way he's dealt with 0:13:50.160 --> 0:13:53.679 all that pressure that everybody's talking about. I mean, he's 0:13:53.840 --> 0:13:58.640 just unruffled. I guess it's the best way to put it, 0:13:58.800 --> 0:14:00.760 you know, like he's been preparing for his whole life, 0:14:00.800 --> 0:14:05.480 which which he has, I guess, But he's just so man. 0:14:05.600 --> 0:14:07.800 And then and then the actual throws that he makes, 0:14:07.840 --> 0:14:12.000 and he's command of the offense. He makes the defense's 0:14:12.360 --> 0:14:16.360 account have to account for every blade of grass on 0:14:16.480 --> 0:14:18.959 the field. And and if you get a chance to 0:14:19.000 --> 0:14:23.920 watch this guy closely, you know, the normal stuff that 0:14:24.160 --> 0:14:27.880 dazzles the average viewer. You know, the sixty yard bomb, 0:14:29.120 --> 0:14:33.040 you know, hitting a receiver and stride way downfield going vertical. 0:14:33.080 --> 0:14:36.240 I mean, that's impressive and all, but what blows me 0:14:36.320 --> 0:14:42.120 away is the shorter or intermediate type throws number one, 0:14:43.680 --> 0:14:46.880 the opposite hash out routes that you know, they're about 0:14:46.880 --> 0:14:50.720 eight or ten yards yardage wise, you know, but he's 0:14:50.760 --> 0:14:53.160 actually throwing the ball thirty five or forty yards and 0:14:53.240 --> 0:14:57.520 throwing it on a rope and hitting the receiver right 0:14:57.640 --> 0:15:00.920 where he's supposed to be hit on timing route. And 0:15:01.040 --> 0:15:05.600 then also, and this is where I think it's abundantly 0:15:05.760 --> 0:15:09.760 clear that he's an upgrade over Kelly Bryant. It's just 0:15:09.880 --> 0:15:15.800 a quick little bubble throws horizontally that you have to 0:15:15.920 --> 0:15:17.840 do that The timing is so important. I mean, you 0:15:17.960 --> 0:15:20.760 have to get the fall out quickly and accurately. And 0:15:20.840 --> 0:15:24.880 that's an area where Kelly Bryant was very inconsistent, even 0:15:24.920 --> 0:15:28.000 at his best, you know, for all of his strength, 0:15:28.120 --> 0:15:31.960 he just seemed to struggle with those throws. And now man, 0:15:32.120 --> 0:15:35.080 Lawrence just whips it out there so fast, and it's 0:15:35.160 --> 0:15:38.200 just it's right where it needs to be, where the 0:15:38.320 --> 0:15:42.120 running back or the receiver just never breaks stride. And 0:15:42.200 --> 0:15:45.840 then I'm actually earlier today, I was doing a video, 0:15:45.920 --> 0:15:49.280 a weekly video review segment. He had a throw against 0:15:49.360 --> 0:15:52.480 Bosting College where he's running to his left. He's obviously 0:15:52.560 --> 0:15:56.760 right handed, run to his left and just uncourt this 0:15:57.080 --> 0:16:01.840 fifteen yard strike, just a pill to Hunter Renfro on 0:16:01.880 --> 0:16:05.920 the sideline and Kirk kurve Street was going nuts over 0:16:06.520 --> 0:16:10.000 And those are the throws that you're just I think 0:16:10.040 --> 0:16:12.440 that's in the NFL, folks. And you hear people say 0:16:12.600 --> 0:16:14.320 he could be a number one tick right now. 0:16:14.680 --> 0:16:17.520 Yeah, well, it's a quarterback class coming out this year, 0:16:17.600 --> 0:16:22.240 for sure. Let me let's expand beyond Trevor Lawrence. One 0:16:22.280 --> 0:16:25.680 of the things that has taken me by surprise, if 0:16:25.760 --> 0:16:29.520 only because I can't follow Clemson as closely as I might, like, 0:16:30.480 --> 0:16:32.920 I didn't realize how good their wide receivers are. T 0:16:33.120 --> 0:16:36.200 Higgins and Amari Rodgers in particular. Now they're both young 0:16:36.920 --> 0:16:39.840 and maybe a bit overshadowed by the Trevor Lawrence storyline 0:16:40.480 --> 0:16:43.440 by just the defense as a whole, that storyline and 0:16:43.480 --> 0:16:47.080 how tenacious they are. But the receiving core to me 0:16:47.720 --> 0:16:50.080 has definitely been a bit of a surprise, and in 0:16:50.160 --> 0:16:50.920 a very good way. 0:16:51.360 --> 0:16:53.360 We look at that in the last year, Dion Kin 0:16:53.440 --> 0:17:00.480 and ray Ray McLeod, two pretty good receivers, right, absolutely, Yeah, 0:17:02.480 --> 0:17:07.040 both of those guys leave early for the NFL. And 0:17:07.560 --> 0:17:11.800 the sort of private reaction that I picked up from 0:17:11.840 --> 0:17:17.320 the coaches was, hey, like they they weren't losing any 0:17:17.359 --> 0:17:19.679 sleep over those two guys leaving. And those are two 0:17:19.800 --> 0:17:23.399 those were two five star recruits. I mean they didn't 0:17:24.880 --> 0:17:27.879 they did not achieve all that you know, most people 0:17:27.920 --> 0:17:30.680 thought they were gonna achieve. Okay, but they were still 0:17:30.840 --> 0:17:35.600 two good receivers, two important weapons, and so you know, 0:17:35.680 --> 0:17:38.040 their issue last year was not having that sort of 0:17:38.080 --> 0:17:41.920 alpha dog receiver like Mike Williams who could just go 0:17:42.119 --> 0:17:44.000 up and get it, you know where you put it 0:17:44.080 --> 0:17:47.960 in his general vicinity and he's gonna get those fifty 0:17:48.000 --> 0:17:48.800 fifty balls. 0:17:48.640 --> 0:17:51.560 The catch radius, right, that's right, that's right. 0:17:51.760 --> 0:17:54.520 They also had Jordan Laggett in twenty sixteen, he made 0:17:54.680 --> 0:17:57.800 huge catches in big games. They had our Tavis Scott, yeah, 0:17:57.920 --> 0:18:01.879 who also made some big catches. Well, fast forwarding and now, 0:18:02.440 --> 0:18:04.240 well I'm sorry, fast forward in the last year in 0:18:04.320 --> 0:18:07.320 the in the in the Sugar Bowl. You know, Clemson 0:18:07.400 --> 0:18:12.560 had several opportunities that were ruined by drop passes. Dean 0:18:12.680 --> 0:18:15.440 Kane dropped had three drops in that game, including a 0:18:15.480 --> 0:18:18.439 deep ball uh that could have been a game changer, 0:18:18.840 --> 0:18:21.240 including I think it was a third and long early 0:18:21.359 --> 0:18:24.200 on when Clemson needed to get some momentum that could 0:18:24.200 --> 0:18:27.720 have really helped. And then a pick six and a 0:18:28.000 --> 0:18:32.040 ball bounces off his hands and is taken back the 0:18:32.119 --> 0:18:35.119 other way for a touchdown to basically end it. What 0:18:35.280 --> 0:18:39.200 I'm saying is they have more of an alpha dog 0:18:39.320 --> 0:18:41.480 presence at receiver now, and a lot of that is 0:18:41.560 --> 0:18:45.359 just physical stature. With t Higgins and Justin Ross, I mean, 0:18:45.400 --> 0:18:50.119 those are just two prototype NFL receivers, those boundary receivers 0:18:50.200 --> 0:18:54.560 who are just taller and bigger and and and can 0:18:54.680 --> 0:18:57.320 win those those fifty to fifty battles. And you mentioned 0:18:57.359 --> 0:19:01.280 Amari Rodgers. He's also, like you said, he's only a sophomore, 0:19:01.400 --> 0:19:05.399 but man, he's just a really really good player, and 0:19:05.480 --> 0:19:08.399 he's only going to get better then. Oh, by the way, 0:19:08.520 --> 0:19:12.680 Hunter Renfro is still out of defenses on third down. 0:19:14.320 --> 0:19:18.560 You know it's funny. I just did a top six 0:19:18.800 --> 0:19:21.680 Hunter Renfro plays of his career because they're going to 0:19:21.760 --> 0:19:24.640 honor him and the other seniors on Saturday against Duke, 0:19:25.600 --> 0:19:31.440 and I say play instead of catch because I put 0:19:31.480 --> 0:19:34.600 at number one. The number one play is Hunter Renfro's 0:19:34.640 --> 0:19:37.480 career at Clemson to date, not the touchdown catch for 0:19:37.520 --> 0:19:40.639 the National Championship, because I think you have to incorporate 0:19:40.720 --> 0:19:43.320 some degree of difficulty and he could make that catch 0:19:43.400 --> 0:19:47.880 in sleep. The tackle he made of Ryan Anderson early 0:19:47.960 --> 0:19:51.360 in the third quarter of that same game Alabama. Ryan 0:19:51.400 --> 0:19:53.560 Anderson is about to return a fumble for a touchdown 0:19:53.600 --> 0:19:55.600 to put Bama up twenty to twenty one to seven 0:19:56.720 --> 0:19:59.679 in the game is possibly over at that point, Well, 0:19:59.720 --> 0:20:05.320 here can Hunter Renfro, who side slights this monster. It's 0:20:05.400 --> 0:20:09.840 like three hundred pounds heavier than he is. Clemson's defense 0:20:10.000 --> 0:20:12.080 comes up with the stop, hold him to a field goal, 0:20:12.160 --> 0:20:17.120 and everything still feels manageable at seventeen to seven. Anyway, Yes, 0:20:17.280 --> 0:20:21.639 Hunter Renfro is still somebody you have to be wary of, 0:20:21.920 --> 0:20:23.720 especially on third down. Sure. 0:20:24.280 --> 0:20:27.400 Also, it surprises me that more people aren't talking about 0:20:27.440 --> 0:20:30.399 Travis Etn. He's ripping off eight and a half per carry, 0:20:30.560 --> 0:20:33.280 He's got fifteen touchdowns on the ground. He needs to 0:20:33.320 --> 0:20:35.879 be in the Heisman discussion. I know there seems to 0:20:35.960 --> 0:20:38.440 be this prevailing wisdom that it's going to be Tua 0:20:38.880 --> 0:20:41.879 or Kyler Murray, but Travis Etn needs to be in 0:20:42.000 --> 0:20:42.640 that discussion. 0:20:43.320 --> 0:20:46.679 I would say he's just not getting enough carries, probably 0:20:46.800 --> 0:20:50.760 because they're just blowing everybody out and they have a 0:20:51.000 --> 0:20:53.399 legit rotation, you know, running back. I mean they have 0:20:53.400 --> 0:20:56.080 a good running back in Tavian Feasture, another good one 0:20:56.359 --> 0:21:00.760 and Adam Choice, and then a freshman and Lynn Dixon 0:21:00.840 --> 0:21:03.200 who looks like he has the makings of being a 0:21:03.240 --> 0:21:06.080 star later on. And so you know, I don't think 0:21:06.359 --> 0:21:08.880 the coaches are preoccupied with Okay, we got to get 0:21:09.560 --> 0:21:13.119 Etm to touches so he can get into this Heisman conversation. 0:21:13.280 --> 0:21:17.560 But is he a Heisman worthy player? Absolutely? I mean, yeah, 0:21:17.840 --> 0:21:22.960 he's such a such a powerful, fast, aggressive runner, and 0:21:23.040 --> 0:21:27.160 he's he's still learning and so I think he's developing 0:21:27.240 --> 0:21:30.600 those instincts developing that vision and that confidence to run 0:21:30.680 --> 0:21:32.920 between the tackles, and boy. 0:21:32.800 --> 0:21:35.440 He is just a load as someone who covers the 0:21:35.480 --> 0:21:38.840 team as closely as you do. What has surprised you 0:21:39.920 --> 0:21:41.480 in watching this twenty eighteen team? 0:21:42.680 --> 0:21:45.080 You know, I thought coming into this the year that 0:21:45.160 --> 0:21:50.639 their secondary might be a bit of a liability. And 0:21:50.760 --> 0:21:53.160 it certainly seemed that way in the second game against 0:21:53.200 --> 0:21:56.840 Texas A and M when Jimbo Fisher's offense was just 0:21:56.960 --> 0:22:01.119 slicing them apart at the second and third levels. And 0:22:01.200 --> 0:22:03.960 I guess I should confine it to safety and not corner, 0:22:04.040 --> 0:22:07.240 because they are really good at corner. But you know, 0:22:07.480 --> 0:22:13.000 they have some depth issues there behind Tanner Muse, And 0:22:13.240 --> 0:22:15.760 I'm sorry they came into the season with some questions, uh, 0:22:16.000 --> 0:22:18.920 some depth issues both that corner and safety. Rent Minibles 0:22:19.040 --> 0:22:23.359 was very nervous. But what has happened is well, Number one, 0:22:23.400 --> 0:22:26.119 they stayed healthy. They haven't had the injuries that they 0:22:26.200 --> 0:22:28.680 had last year. I mean they had quite a few 0:22:28.760 --> 0:22:31.960 injuries in the secondary last year through the whole season 0:22:32.080 --> 0:22:36.280 that that really nagged them. Tanner Muse has become a 0:22:36.560 --> 0:22:41.040 really good safety this season, has really developed well. And 0:22:41.200 --> 0:22:45.280 is he's that uh, he's the safety, the strong safety 0:22:45.400 --> 0:22:47.920 that you know plays near the box, and it's just, man, 0:22:48.040 --> 0:22:51.560 he he is your physical guy who can really punish 0:22:51.880 --> 0:22:54.760 running backs in the gap and and sort of patrol 0:22:54.880 --> 0:22:58.560 that intermediate area and be that kind of enforcer. And 0:22:58.640 --> 0:23:03.680 then Kevon Wallace, a junior other safety as a really 0:23:03.720 --> 0:23:06.560 good player. And then at the corner spots, I mean 0:23:06.600 --> 0:23:09.320 you got Trade von Mullen and aj Torrell. Those are 0:23:09.359 --> 0:23:14.119 two future NFL players, and man, they're just they are 0:23:14.280 --> 0:23:18.000 tall and physical. And so what happens is when you 0:23:18.080 --> 0:23:22.400 play offenses that are really good at a quick game, man, 0:23:22.480 --> 0:23:27.600 they just get up in the receivers grills and make 0:23:27.640 --> 0:23:29.760 it really difficult for them to get off the line. 0:23:29.800 --> 0:23:33.000 And then by that time, the defensive line is in 0:23:33.080 --> 0:23:35.720 the quarterback space. And so I mean that really happened 0:23:35.760 --> 0:23:38.960 against Inncy State. I mean they just they just this 0:23:39.080 --> 0:23:43.040 whole defense just makes life a living hell for whoever 0:23:43.600 --> 0:23:45.720 they play. I mean, it's just it's got to be 0:23:46.080 --> 0:23:50.480 such a nightmare. And I felt so bad for Anthony Brown, 0:23:50.560 --> 0:23:55.240 Boston College's quarterback. Yeah, last Saturday, I mean their series, 0:23:55.680 --> 0:23:58.080 their first series, he just gets crushed. 0:23:58.840 --> 0:24:02.840 What is the identity of a team that can beat 0:24:02.920 --> 0:24:05.679 Clemson knowing that they've got to go up against this defense, 0:24:05.720 --> 0:24:07.960 that they've got to try to stop this offense. What 0:24:08.280 --> 0:24:11.800 characteristics does a team need to possess in order to 0:24:11.840 --> 0:24:13.400 have a real chance of beating Clemson. 0:24:14.720 --> 0:24:17.440 I would say one that can really stress you down 0:24:17.520 --> 0:24:21.479 the field, you know. I mean, if you look at 0:24:21.520 --> 0:24:27.080 a Brent Vinables has put together a masterpiece during his 0:24:27.800 --> 0:24:31.480 tenure at Clemson. But the one little I'm not gonna 0:24:31.480 --> 0:24:34.600 say weakness because I don't know if they I don't 0:24:34.600 --> 0:24:36.399 know if it rises to that level, because they're so 0:24:36.600 --> 0:24:40.040