Safety Carson Donnelly spoke to the media on Wednesday ahead of Clemson’s first home game against Furman.
Donnelly, a redshirt senior, had his first career punt block in the second quarter, which set Clemson up for its first touchdown of the season. Donnelly shared what contributed to that block and how he believes special teams can shift the momentum of games, much like what happened against Georgia Tech.
“Definitely like reaction. I mean, we have drill work that we do, but it’s kind of like see ball, go get ball,” he said. “It was kind of like a reaction thing. I just got through there and made the play.”
Although the play came almost reactionary for Donnelly, he shifted his position to be able to physically push past Tech’s line of protection.
“I knew they were blocking down on me,” he said. “A couple of punts before, I knew the guy to the left of me was blocking down, so I kind of cut my split in and dipped my shoulder, and he kind of barely grazed me and pushed me into the punt. So, I saw it and just made it happen.”
Donnelly reiterated that the play didn’t come as a result of a shifted scheme, rather a basic call was made. Donnelly just was able to push through and make the play possible.
“Well, they had a new special teams coordinator, so we really didn’t know what they were going to do,” he said. “So we kind of called a basic call, and it just kind of happened to play out like that.”
Donnelly, being a senior, takes pride in his effort on special teams. He expressed how he believes that assistant coach Mickey Conn and special teams coordinator Mike Reed really instill that the special teams unit can make an impact on the field. When they take the field, it’s the effort they put in that can help make important plays in the game.
“I just think it’s taking pride in your job. Especially on special teams, it’s effort and giving all that you have,” he said. “It’s really just creating momentum, doing what you can to help the offense and put them in position. I know that blocked punt got us inside the 10(-yard line), and that really sparked the offense.”
The weight of each moment this season is not floating by Donnelly. He understands that each moment will be his last. He simply wants to be present in each moment and fully enjoy the season for whatever it may bring.
“That’s my word for the year. It’s enjoy,” he said. “I really just want to enjoy my last season with my teammates. All the gameday experiences and even the Friday night dinner, the Friday night movies, all that stuff. I’m just really trying to enjoy and take in the moment.”
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