Clemson tight end Davis Allen spoke to the media on Monday, Sep. 26 ahead of Saturday’s game versus N.C. State.
Allen, who caught a 21-yard touchdown pass to secure the win over Wake Forest 51-45 on Saturday, described how he believes the offense has grown in confidence and how that confidence is reflected in their performance on the field.
“I think we are definitely heading in the right direction as an offense, from a confidence standpoint and a performance standpoint as well,” he said.
Allen reflected on the narrow victory over Wake Forest and felt like that game could really be a tipping point for the Tigers as the season progresses. From an offensive standpoint, being able to go out there and execute and come away with the win, he believes has given the team that extra spark they needed.
“We’ll go down, we’ll play sixty minutes or however long it takes,” he said. “We know as a group as long as we’re clicking and on the same page, no one can really stop us. It’s a good confidence booster.”
This week brings College GameDay to Clemson for a prime-time night game versus N.C. State. Allen shared how he feels to be back in Death Valley for another night game and a top ten matchup.
“It’s exciting, it’s really exciting,” he said.
Allen, who played linebacker growing up, brings physicality to the tight end position, in both the run and pass game. Allen played slot receiver in high school but described himself as always being a defensive guy. However, he shifted his mentality coming into his freshman year at Clemson and it has been his focus to improve his pass game during his time with the Tigers.
“Going into my freshman year here, I knew I have to be able to catch the ball too,” he said. “That’s really been an emphasis of every offseason. My thought process is every offseason, I have to get better in every area.”
Kyle Richardson, passing game coordinator and tight ends coach, has stepped into the role this season focusing on fostering the relationships with each player he coaches. Allen believes that the way Richardson approaches coaching has instilled belief in the offense, specifically in going out and making plays during those pivotal moments.
“I think he just wants us to believe in ourselves,” he said. “I think when you believe in yourself, you carry yourself a certain way. I think that’s just what he wants us to show on the field.”
With a loss to N.C. State last season, the Tigers are looking to rebound at home this weekend. Allen acknowledged the rivalry but was adamant that each game has a lot riding on it and it’s being in the moment that will best prepare the Tigers for whatever is to come this Saturday.
“I think it’s always been a big rivalry ever since I’ve been here,” he said. “Especially since we lost last year, there’s a little more juice, but we want to perform our best, we want to put our best foot forward. At the end of the day, it’s the biggest game of the year, because it’s the next one. It doesn’t matter if we were playing N.C. State or someone else. We have to keep in our mind it is a rivalry, but at the same time it’s just the next game for us and the biggest game of the year and we need to treat it like it’s any other game. I think that has to be the mindset.”
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