Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR BRENT VENABLES: They have players capable of doing that with more of a balanced monster running back. You know, they’ve been feeding him. I’m not sure if they felt quite as good about their backs then. I think they featured J.T. Barrett a little more in the running game, and then Curtis Samuel. I see more similarities. Just a very balanced and very physical, very explosive — I’m not sure what their rankings were offensively. I know they were really good in ’16.
They’re the number one scoring offense in college football, and the best third-down offense in college football. Almost close to 60% conversion rate, which is just — it’s got to be historical for an offense, other than a triple-option offense, who are typically really good on third down. It’s pretty frightening when you put the tape on, what they have been able to put on the field.
Q. Brent, any bowl season like this, right, in the ACC, you know those teams so well. By now you get a real feel for them. When you really start game planning defensively for a new opponent in bowl season, what’s that like for you?
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR BRENT VENABLES: Usually it’s — at first, you’re always excited to see the first video. And then when you start watching it, it just gives you — because again, when you’re talking about — again, we’ve been fortunate enough to go to five straight playoffs, you’re playing against the absolute best of the best.
And the way teams are built anymore, it’s usually offensively based. And they’re, again, historically good. And so it’s pretty — to be honest, for me personally, I get just — I don’t know if overwhelmed is the right word, but it’s just like, how in the heck are we going to get in their way and trying to understand personality and DNA and philosophy? It’s a challenge.
And then this year, we actually didn’t have near as much time as we’ve had the past years. We had a week less preparation time. And so our first week, we missed recruiting because of championship week. And so that first week out was our only week to be able to recruit. Really had four days. Start in Miami, Florida, to Charlotte to Atlanta to Virginia to Los Angeles.
So you’re going all over the place trying to recruit, and trying to get a little bit of game time in there when you can on your plane flights. So again, just a little bit less time as far as preparation. Ohio State has the same issues.
Q. How does Ohio State compare against the offenses you’ve played against the last five years?
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR BRENT VENABLES: They’re every bit as good. They can match up with anybody. Same. Great quarterback play, great offensive line play, terrific running back, great balance. Take the top off, you have not just one guy, you have got multiple guys that can run right by you.
The secondary, well-coached, great schemes. They have answers. They make adjustments. Have a lot of confidence. They’ve been on this setting, so they have experience. So from that standpoint, comparatively speaking, I would put them all more in the category of being similar. Slight differences in who they are. They’re really, really good.
Q. From your side of the ball, what you’ve been able to do with Clemson and this defense and your time here? How would you compare a Clemson defense? For instance, when you played Ohio State, obviously you change players but, also, you have a core philosophy. How much has the core philosophy of what you do defensively stayed the same in your Clemson time? And how much have you had to adjust to the different guys.
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR BRENT VENABLES: I think every year is different. You have a system and a philosophy. We’re aggressive. We’re press man-to-man. We’re probably a little more multiple this year because we feel like we’ve had to do that. And some years you don’t. A year ago, everybody is like, Oh, you don’t have to do anything. You can just rush four all day. That’s not true. You’re getting different kind of protections, people are chipping and sliding and everything else. You’ve still got to find ways to generate pressure. So I think our philosophy, without question, has been the same.
This year we felt like we’ve had to be a little bit more multiple and play to our strengths, which has been our back seven and try to help our young guys. We have one starter on our defensive line that’s ever started a college football game. That’s what we rolled out there with at fall camp. Two of the starters, not including Tyler Davis who has become a starter, but Jordan Williams and Nyles Pinckney, they did nothing from January all the way until the first day of fall camp. Nothing with the football team. So they were going through different rehabs and some missed winter conditions, summer drills.