Clemson co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott
Q. Jackson Carman — becoming an elite tackle. What’s he done so good this year?
TONY ELLIOTT: Jackson has really matured off the field. Not that he was in a bad situation, but he’s really just taken ownership. He’s not relying on his talent. He’s starting to focus on the details and the fundamentals. He’s an extremely smart, young man. Sometimes — when you’re smart, sometimes you overthink things and you try to do too much. That’s what I’ve seen the biggest in him. He’s not overthinking things. He’s really trusting his technique, and he’s not just relying on talent. That’s a tribute to the maturity that’s taken place over the last year with him.
Q. Have you been around (Jackson Carman) enough as far as conversation where you get a sense he’s relishing the chance to play Ohio State?
TONY ELLIOTT: Oh, he’s excited! This goes back to before — he got into Clemson, and before he made a decision to come to Clemson. I think he’s been following Chase Young since Chase Young was in high school. These guys are competitors. They want to compete against the best. He and Tremayne [Anchrum] are both excited for an opportunity. This is what you want. Especially those guys who aspire to play at the next level. You’re talking about potentially — he’s good enough to be a number one overall pick. You have a chance to showcase your talent on the biggest stage versus the best player in the country, these guys are both excited.
Q. Can you make a name for yourself with Jackson [Carman] coming in his college career or the next level —
TONY ELLIOTT: Potentially. I don’t want the guys to focus on that. I just want them to focus on playing their best game, because that’s what it is going to take. If you get caught up in the hype, if you’re too excited — because at the end of the day, emotion isn’t going to win this game. They play in one of the best venues in college football. They play in one of the best conferences in college football. They’re not going to be overwhelmed by the moment. It is the team that can manage all of the distractions, all of the hype associated with the game, and lock in and play the best fundamental football that’s going to win. So these guys will be excited, but at the same time, don’t want to take that excitement away from them. We want to challenge them in the right way.
Q. For the offensive linemen, focusing them on the game plan rather than the vendetta of, I want to beat this guy.
TONY ELLIOTT: Our guys have done a great job. If you just look at the success these guys have had offensively, it is because they’ve been able to block out the distractions. I don’t anticipate they’ll get caught up in the moment. They’re not going to make it personal. At the end of the day, we’re successful as a program because there’s no entitlement. It is not about one individual. It is about the team. Playing together as one. Everyone pulling the same direction. So I think the offensive line understands that that’s our strength offensively, is those guys in the trenches, and their strength is the defensive line. It is a matchup between strength on strength and the guys that, like I said, that can block out the noise, not get caught up in the hype of the game, but focus on the game plan and the technique. That at the end of the day, the game plan doesn’t matter if you don’t have good fundamentals.
Q. How much more zone are they playing — they’ve made a lot of improvement from last year, giving them big plays. I’ve read they’re playing more —
TONY ELLIOTT: They’re about — if I had to put my finger on it, they’re probably about 55, 45, 60/40 between zone and man. But they do play a lot of man coverage, and they’re good enough to do it. But then also they can mix it up. The great thing about it is they’re able to disguise it. So you don’t know until post-snap whether it is actually man coverage or whether it is zone coverage. That changes something, especially when you’re going through your progressions for the quarterback. A little bit more zone. Like I said, it is about 50/50, but again, we won’t know until we get out there. They may have something different planned for us.