Latest / FSU Football: Doak Talk / FSU vs CLEMSON: LOSER GETS FIRED?! Norvell vs Dabo With EVERYTHING on the Line

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FSU vs CLEMSON: LOSER GETS FIRED?! Norvell vs Dabo With EVERYTHING on the Line · FSU Football: Doak Talk

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Hey, it's CJ Wilson here with Dope Talk. One of
• 0:01
  Speaker 1: my favorite weeks in ACC play has arrived. We have
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: FSU versus Clemson. We're on behind enemy lines with Nick Coppola,
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: who was a friend of the show. He was previously
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: on for the New Mexico State game. Nick is currently
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: the Clemson sports reporter for the Greenville News. Nick, how's
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: it going?
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: It's going great. Happy to be back on for second
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: time this season. And I appreciate the invite. Should be
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  Speaker 2: a fun one this Saturday.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, most definitely.
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  Speaker 1: When we Talked previously, you know, you're kind of in
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: transition to covering New Mexico State and giving over to Clemson,
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  Speaker 1: which is a pretty big jump as far as, you know,
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  Speaker 1: covering one school to another. Let's talk about, I guess,
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  Speaker 1: the transition and some of the differences you've been seeing,
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: you know, going from covering New Mexico State to one
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  Speaker 1: of the bigger programs in the ACC and Clemson.
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely a higher demand, you know, for New Mexico State.
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  Speaker 2: You know, there's just not a lot of people covering
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  Speaker 2: New Mexico State and, you know, The fans are great there,
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  Speaker 2: and there's people that care about New Mexico State down there,
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  Speaker 2: but Clemson's just a much bigger fan base that cares
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  Speaker 2: a lot more about football. New Mexico State's more a
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: basketball school because that's the sport they've been historically more
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  Speaker 2: successful at.
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  Speaker 3: Here, it's all the way football for Clemson.
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  Speaker 2: The fans are passionate, the stadium atmosphere is second to
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  Speaker 2: none in the ACC, especially at night in Memorial Stadium,
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  Speaker 2: and just.
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  Speaker 3: You know, it's been a lot.
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  Speaker 2: You know, the pressure's on, you know, to get a
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  Speaker 2: lot of confidence, get stories out every week. But nothing
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  Speaker 2: I didn't expect. So, you know, I'm happy to be here.
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  Speaker 2: I've met some good people since I've been here.
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  Speaker 3: And, you know, I love it. No where else I'd
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  Speaker 3: rather be right now.
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  Speaker 4: Nick, I do have a question for you. Are you
• 1:38
  Speaker 4: going to come down for the game this weekend?
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  Speaker 2: I am, yeah.
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  Speaker 3: I'll be in Tallahassee. I'm very excited.
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  Speaker 2: You know, Del Campo is also another fantastic ACC stadium
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  Speaker 2: in terms of atmosphere.
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  Speaker 3: I know Florida State is doing great. as good as
• 1:50
  Speaker 3: maybe they were in past years.
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  Speaker 2: But I'm still expecting great things from Florida State fans
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  Speaker 2: this week.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, like you said, you spoke about the night atmosphere
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  Speaker 1: in Clemson, and this should be a good one as
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  Speaker 1: well for Florida State, even though the record isn't as good,
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  Speaker 1: but it still should be a really good atmosphere. So
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  Speaker 1: once you get into town, definitely keep up with anything,
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  Speaker 1: but welcome to Tallahassee, and it's definitely going to be
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  Speaker 1: a really good atmosphere for sure as far as, you know,
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  Speaker 1: when it comes to ACC play, it doesn't get any
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  Speaker 1: better than Clemson, Florida State, Virginia Tech, those type of schools,
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  Speaker 1: when it comes to home field advantages and stadium atmospheres
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  Speaker 1: and being in a night game at Tallahassee is definitely
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  Speaker 1: going to be a good experience.
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  Speaker 3: Oh, yeah, man. Can't wait. Looking forward to getting down there.
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  Speaker 4: All right, guys. Make sure you guys hit that like
• 2:31
  Speaker 4: and subscribe button.
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: We're going to go ahead and get into it and
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: talk about Clemson and talk about the game as it is.
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  Speaker 1: So hit that like button and subscribe to the channel
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: if you haven't already. All right, Nick, let's get to it.
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  Speaker 1: So Clemson Tigers, they sit at 4-3 coming off a
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  Speaker 1: loss to Virginia Tech, a real What are the vibes
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  Speaker 1: around the program right now? There's a lot of outside
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  Speaker 1: pressure mounting on Davos Sweeney on the program due to
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  Speaker 1: the record. Let's talk about the vibes around the program
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  Speaker 1: and the press conferences and just what you've been seeing
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: and covering Clemson thus far in the season.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I would say the vibes are not great right now.
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  Speaker 2: The vibes were.
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  Speaker 3: Very, very low after a blowout loss to LSU.
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  Speaker 2: Then they went three in a row after that, got
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: up to three and one, and You know, they're getting
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: to Miami on a win streak. Like, okay, you know,
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  Speaker 2: we're getting hot. We're getting on a win streak. And
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  Speaker 2: then Miami beats them very convincingly. And then they had
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: Charleston Southern, which was kind of a nothing game.
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  Speaker 3: And then you have Virginia Tech.
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  Speaker 2: And that's a game that they probably should have won,
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  Speaker 2: had a great chance to win there at the end.
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  Speaker 2: And they just didn't pull it out. So I'd say
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  Speaker 2: the vibes are pretty low right now. The offense is
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  Speaker 2: not really that good. You know, a lot of people,
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: a lot of Clemson fans questioned the– be higher for
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: Chad Morris, his offensive coordinator from the beginning. And I
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: wouldn't say that's really been great for them so far.
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  Speaker 2: And just overall, it just doesn't really look like Clemson football.
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  Speaker 2: You know, you expect something out of Clemson football. Even though,
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: you know, maybe they're not a tier one program anymore,
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  Speaker 2: you still expect them to do better than they are
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  Speaker 2: right now. So I wouldn't say the vibes are great
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  Speaker 2: right now. The fans are very upset. You know, press
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  Speaker 2: conferences recently have been, you know, negative in tone because
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  Speaker 2: there's not many great things to talk about with Clemson
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  Speaker 2: football right now. And then the negatives are very glaring.
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  Speaker 2: So yeah, vibes are just probably at the lowest point
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  Speaker 2: that they've been all season for sure.
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: No, I agree with you, especially as far as the
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: offense and hiring Chad Morris. You can't really rewind the
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  Speaker 1: clock and go back 15 years and that type of deal.
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  Speaker 1: And Chad, that was the peak of Chad Morris' career,
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: those Sammy Watkins type of offenses back then. But Since then,
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  Speaker 1: it really hasn't been anything to warrant to be rehired
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  Speaker 1: at a university like Clemson, in my opinion, aside from
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: the style of old vibes. But again, let's get into
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  Speaker 1: it and talk about the offense. And this is going
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: to be probably the most interesting portion of the game,
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: in my opinion. We have the Clemson offense, which has
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: been terrible to this point. We have the FSU defense,
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: which may have been maybe even worse than the Clemson
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: offense at this point in time. It's going to be
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: interesting to see who wins the battle. Something has to give.
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  Speaker 1: Let's talk about the quarterback position. We're going to start
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  Speaker 1: off with, of course, Chris Fazzini, who was the starter
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  Speaker 1: at a certain point and then now a true freshman,
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  Speaker 1: Tate Reynolds. Let's talk about the quarterback position. This is
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  Speaker 1: a position that's been a struggle for Clemson, but I
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  Speaker 1: think Tate is starting to get more comfortable as the
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: season progresses, as his true freshman season progresses.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, he's learning.
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  Speaker 2: He took over officially as a starter in Week 3.
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  Speaker 2: They went with Fazzini. Didn't really work out. He also
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: hurt his elbow in week two. So it's been the
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  Speaker 2: Reynolds show from there on. He's playing like a raw
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  Speaker 2: freshman would play, how you would expect a raw freshman
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  Speaker 2: to play.
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  Speaker 3: You can see the talent.
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  Speaker 2: You can see what got Davos Swinney and Clemson's coaches
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  Speaker 2: really excited about bringing him into the program. But then
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  Speaker 2: he's also like, okay, he's made this really big mistake.
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  Speaker 2: He's having trouble taking care of the football. He's a
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  Speaker 2: little bit maybe hesitant to throw the football and really
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  Speaker 2: push push the ball downfield, you know, his average at
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  Speaker 2: the target is I think the lowest among ACC quarterbacks,
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  Speaker 2: at least starting ACC quarterbacks right now. And so, you know,
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  Speaker 2: it's a work in progress. It will likely be a
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  Speaker 2: work in progress throughout the season, you know, and ultimately
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  Speaker 2: he's just been kind of thrust into a role that
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  Speaker 2: you can argue he's maybe not ready for. Maybe he
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  Speaker 2: will be ready in time. And I think it can
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  Speaker 2: be something at one point in time, but he's far
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  Speaker 2: from a finished product right now, but it's just, you've
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  Speaker 2: got to be patient with him. You've got to work
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  Speaker 2: through him. He's kind of learning in real time right now,
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  Speaker 2: and you can see it during games and everything. He's
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  Speaker 2: gotten better at taking care of the ball. This past
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  Speaker 2: week against Virginia Tech was the first time he didn't
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  Speaker 2: really come close to having a turnover. He rushed for
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  Speaker 2: his first touchdown. He started to be more aggressive, rushing
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  Speaker 2: the football. He had a career high in rushing yards
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  Speaker 2: against Virginia Tech. So he's starting to come into his
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  Speaker 2: own just a little bit. The main thing is just, though,
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  Speaker 2: with the passing offense is, you know, it's not great
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  Speaker 2: right now. You know, it's the worst in the ACC
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  Speaker 2: in terms of passing yards per game. They lack explosiveness. Again,
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  Speaker 2: they don't really push the ball downfield. They lack a
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  Speaker 2: vertical threat, not really because they don't have receivers who
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  Speaker 2: can go downfield and make plays. They're just not throwing
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  Speaker 2: the ball down the field at all. Whether you want
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  Speaker 2: to put that more on Morris, whether you want to
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  Speaker 2: put that on Reynolds, maybe worried about making a mistake.
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  Speaker 2: It's kind of up to debate, up to interpretation, but,
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  Speaker 2: you know, they just They have a raw freshman who's
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  Speaker 2: playing like one and is not near his potential right now.
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  Speaker 2: And also just, man, they really struggle pushing the ball
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  Speaker 2: past the sticks.
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  Speaker 1: Well, if they're struggling passing the ball, a game against
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  Speaker 1: Florida State could be just what you need to kind
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  Speaker 1: of get on track a little bit as they've been
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  Speaker 1: one of the worst pass defenses in not just the ACC,
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: but in all of FBS as well. You want to
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  Speaker 1: stick with the receivers because you brought up one of
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  Speaker 1: them as far as the lack of explosive plays and
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  Speaker 1: not pushing the ball downfield. it's kind of frustrating because
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  Speaker 1: I believe Clemson from a talent standpoint has one of
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  Speaker 1: the better receiver rooms in the ACC with NFL players
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  Speaker 1: such as Brian Wesco, TJ Moore, and Tyler Brown has
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  Speaker 1: been playing as well this year too. So spot a
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  Speaker 1: receiver room as well too and just kind of combine
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  Speaker 1: those two. What are your opinions and thoughts on why
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  Speaker 1: we haven't seen maybe it's the quarterback position kind of
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  Speaker 1: just kind of catering or trying to pass, I won't
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: say pacify, but protect your young quarterback. But again, you
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: have these explosive playmakers in Wesco and TJ Moore. I
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: think it's kind of doing yourself a disservice in not
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  Speaker 1: trying to be explosive.
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  Speaker 4: With those guys.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I agree.
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  Speaker 2: You know, I, I think that, you know, Wesco, Moore
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  Speaker 2: and Brown, you know, all three of those, they, they
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: have a lot of talent and they've had some low
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: points in this season. You know, DJ Moore two weeks
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: ago against Charleston Southern did not have a really good game. Davos,
• 8:56
  Speaker 2: when he called it his worst game as a Clemson player.
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: But overall he's a, he's a good player. And so
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: are the other two guys and, you know, Wesco, especially,
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: you know, I think Wesco is their, their best guy. And,
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  Speaker 2: You know, I just think part of it's, you know,
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  Speaker 2: they're being a little bit held back by the fact
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: that you have, you know, a raw freshman quarterback where
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  Speaker 2: it really isn't his fault just because of him being
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: a freshman and him still trying to grow, and maybe
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: he's not really ready to be in this massive spotlight
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: that he's in right now. But that's where Clemson is
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: at right now. And, you know, you have Chad Morris,
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  Speaker 2: who is an offensive coordinator who's kind of passed his best,
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: kind of lost his fastball, especially compared to when he
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: was previously the Clemson offensive coordinator. So, you know, it
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  Speaker 2: sucks because, you know, these wide receivers really haven't had
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: much of an opportunity to make plays, to generate explosive plays.
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: And when they're put in that situation, they can, you know,
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: they'll pop up with, you know, yards after catch, you know,
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: big plays downfield when they have the opportunity.
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  Speaker 3: They just haven't had much of it right.
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: Now because Clemson isn't really pushing the ball downfield as
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: you would like. And so it's kind of put a really,
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: really hard cap on how good the passing offense can
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: be and how good you expect those three receivers to
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: be because, you know, they can make plays. They're just
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: not really having the opportunity to do so right now.
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: So I don't really think it's their fault. They're just
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: the what's surrounding them right now and is not particularly
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: the best situation. Agreed.
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: All right, let's transition to the trenches a little bit
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: in the running game. Talk about the offensive line and
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: also the running backs with Gideon Davidson and Chris Johnson Jr.,
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: who is one of the fastest players in the ACC.
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: Talk about the running game and what they try to
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: do and bring to the table for the Clemson Tigers.
• 10:35
  Speaker 3: Yeah, this is definitely Gideon Davidson's room.
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  Speaker 2: You know, he's pretty firmly Clemson's RB1 right now. And
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  Speaker 2: when he has the space, you know, he can.
• 10:44
  Speaker 3: Make a play. You know, he.
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: Didn't have the— the best start to his season, but
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: you know, since North Carolina and since then, you know,
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: he's really come into his own, you know, Cal, he was,
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: he was fantastic. He had a big, like 70 plus
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: yard rushing touchdown to kind of cap the game, seal
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: the win for them. Um, that was his best game
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  Speaker 2: as a Clemson tiger to that point. Um, And I
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: think he's right now top 10 in the ACC in
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: rushing yards right now. So when he has the space
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  Speaker 2: and when he's put in positions to succeed, Gideon Davidson
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: can make a play. He's been one of the better
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: players on the opposite side of the ball for Clemson
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: this season.
• 11:21
  Speaker 3: Chris Johnson Jr., he generated a.
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: Lot of interest coming out of the portal and coming
• 11:26
  Speaker 2: to Clemson. It just hasn't really gone the way that
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: both he and Clemson would have wanted right now. I
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: think a lot of people thought Chris Johnson Jr. was
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: going to play a big role in the Clemson offense.
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: It hasn't really worked that way to that point.
• 11:38
  Speaker 3: I think he only got maybe a handful of snaps.
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: Not even a handful, maybe like two or three against
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: Virginia Tech last week. Jarvis Green received the second most
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: snaps of running back behind Geon Davidson.
• 11:50
  Speaker 3: So that was attributed to multiple issues.
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: I remember him saying that he just wasn't really– he
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: didn't really have the scheme understood as much as they would,
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: they would have lied.
• 12:00
  Speaker 3: Wasn't really making plays to fit within the scheme.
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: So it's just, it hasn't really been what he or Clemson,
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: certainly not what Clemson fans expected when Chris Johnson Jr.
• 12:12
  Speaker 3: Was brought into the program.
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: He's returning kicks for them. He's been their primary kickoff
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: return man, and he's been a good kickoff return man,
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: I think. But in terms of the offense, just, you know,
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: he scored twice against Charleston Southern, but other than that,
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: it's just, his snaps have been minimal. His plays have
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: been minimal. You know, his impact overall has been very minimal. Um,
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: so it's, it's, it's disappointing, you know, because you expected
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: more from him. Um, in terms of other running backs, uh,
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: Jarvis green is, is, you know, like I said, he
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: got the second most snaps and running back, uh, last week. Well, someone,
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: he's someone that they'll get in now. And then, um,
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: I'm curious where they'll go with Jay Haynes as well.
• 12:44
  Speaker 2: Jay Haynes came back, um, from the Charleston Southern game, uh,
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: last week before, before Virginia tech. Um, for the first
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: time in like a year and a half. He tore
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: his ACL in the ACC championship game two years ago
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: and just hasn't played since. And he had a solid
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: 2024 season, but of course the injury really held him back.
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: So I'm curious now that he's back and he's fully healthy,
• 13:05
  Speaker 2: how much he grows into this Clemson offense. And in
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: terms of run blocking from the offensive line, it's been
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: kind of hit or miss. They've had to make some changes,
• 13:15
  Speaker 2: especially in the interior. Recently they went to Easton Ware
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: at right guard instead of Rowan and O'Connell. mostly due
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: to pass throw from Ronald McConnell, but, you know, run
• 13:23
  Speaker 2: blocking wasn't great either. And I think Easton Ware has
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: been better overall than Ronald McConnell, so I think that
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: was a good change that they made there. And from
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: an offensive standpoint, you know, rushing is what they do best.
• 13:38
  Speaker 2: You know, the rushing offense still kind of ranks below
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: half in the ACC, at least in terms of yards
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: per game and things like that. But, you know, it's
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: definitely where Clemson can move the ball the best.
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: Ooh.
• 13:48
  Speaker 4: Let's transition over to the defensive side of the ball
• 13:50
  Speaker 4: before we get there.
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: Again, make sure you guys hit that like button and
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: subscribe to the channel if you haven't already.
• 13:56
  Speaker 4: So we go to Tom Allen.
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: Year two under Tom Allen, former Penn State defensive coordinator,
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: really solid defensive, like what he did against Miami, like
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: the game plan against Miami, aside from some explosive plays.
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: And if the offense could have did something with those
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: red zone opportunities, that game could have went in a
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: different way. But like I said, year two under Tom Allen,
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: Talk about the defensive line led by Will Hilt, one
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: of the best defensive ends in the ACC, in my opinion.
• 14:22
  Speaker 4: So let's talk about the defensive line and what those
• 14:23
  Speaker 4: guys want to do.
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Will Hilt, you said it. He's been their alpha
• 14:27
  Speaker 2: right now on the defensive line. He had two sacks
• 14:30
  Speaker 2: last weekend against Virginia Tech.
• 14:33
  Speaker 3: Definitely their best player.
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: Probably going to be someone who's picked in the first
• 14:37
  Speaker 2: three rounds of the NFL draft if he declares for
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: it coming up. London Merritt has been decent at defensive
• 14:46
  Speaker 2: end as well. Defensive tackle is where you start to
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: have a little more question marks because there really hasn't
• 14:52
  Speaker 2: been a guy that's emerged there at defensive tackle. They've
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: rotated maybe about six, seven guys there at defensive tackle
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: over the course of the season. The guys who have
• 15:01
  Speaker 2: played the most are Champ Thompson, Andy Berberia, who was
• 15:04
  Speaker 2: a Juco commit coming in, Darian Mayo, who was a
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: defensive end to start the season, but they recently moved
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: him to defensive tackle, which is because they think his
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: size and his overall ability fits that position better than
• 15:16
  Speaker 2: defensive end.
• 15:17
  Speaker 3: And I agree.
• 15:17
  Speaker 2: I think he's made a stronger impact at defensive tackle
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: compared to defensive end. He got a good pass break
• 15:23
  Speaker 2: of last week from the D-tackle spot. I thought he
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: played well against Cal at defensive tackle. So that transition
• 15:29
  Speaker 2: has been really good for him. Dvarik Woods. He's been
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: decent coming up from transferring in from Texas State, but
• 15:38
  Speaker 2: he struggled with injury, and he's still trying to come
• 15:41
  Speaker 2: back from that. So there's just a lot of guys
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: who they try to rotate in there and go make
• 15:45
  Speaker 2: a play, but none has really emerged. Really, they haven't
• 15:49
  Speaker 2: really had a top two guy, or really two top
• 15:52
  Speaker 2: guys there at defensive tackle are like, okay, this is
• 15:55
  Speaker 2: who Clemson's going to rely on at defensive tackle.
• 15:58
  Speaker 3: It just really hasn't been that way. So overall on
• 16:01
  Speaker 3: the defense.
• 16:02
  Speaker 2: I do think the defensive tackles, they're weakling just because,
• 16:04
  Speaker 2: I mean, you have no idea who you can turn
• 16:06
  Speaker 2: to on that, at that position to make a play.
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: Well, let's transition over to, and it's going to be
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: interesting as well, too, with the defense line, and we're
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: going to talk about the linebackers here, but it's going
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: to be interesting because FSU, one of the more dynamic
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: running teams in the ACC, but we're going to see
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: how this new look FSU running game look with the
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: injury to, you know, all our running back, Usman Kormaugh,
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: We already lost Sam Singleton early in the season as well,
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: so FSU is down to the third-string running back as
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: far as being the starter in Trey Wiseman. So it's
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: going to be interesting to see how the running game
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: looks moving forward for FSU. Let's transition to the linebackers.
• 16:44
  Speaker 4: My apologies.
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: You have Jeremiah Alexander and Sammy Brown, one of my
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: favorite linebackers in the ACC. Those two are leading tacklers
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: for the linebacker position. Talk about the linebackers in the
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: combination with those guys within the defensive line to try
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: to stop the truck game for FSU.
• 17:01
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Sammy Brown, you know, he's been as advertised, you know,
• 17:04
  Speaker 2: and he's already proven himself in the ACC Defensive Rookie
• 17:07
  Speaker 2: of the Year in 2024. First team all-conference last season, and,
• 17:11
  Speaker 2: you know, he's been one of their team leaders this year.
• 17:13
  Speaker 2: So Sammy Brown has been exactly what, you know, Clemson expected,
• 17:16
  Speaker 2: certainly what Clemson fans expect. You know, they love Sammy Brown,
• 17:19
  Speaker 2: and he's been one of the best defensive players this season.
• 17:22
  Speaker 2: Emerging alongside him at linebacker has been Jeremiah Alexander. That
• 17:26
  Speaker 2: was when he... A couple weeks ago, I think heading
• 17:28
  Speaker 2: into the Miami game, called him the most improved player
• 17:31
  Speaker 2: on the team, and he's really had a good season.
• 17:33
  Speaker 2: I think he's one of the more physical defensive players,
• 17:36
  Speaker 2: and you certainly see that on the field. So, yeah,
• 17:40
  Speaker 2: those are definitely their top two guys that will go
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: out there, Sammy Brown and Jeremiah Alexander. Behind them, you
• 17:45
  Speaker 2: have guys like Fletcher Cothran and C.J. Cooper-Taylor, guys who
• 17:49
  Speaker 2: I think have made the most of the minimal snaps
• 17:52
  Speaker 2: that they've gotten.
• 17:52
  Speaker 3: Of course, they're backup guys, they're rotation guys.
• 17:54
  Speaker 2: They're not going to get many chances to impress players,
• 17:56
  Speaker 2: But I think they have, and I think they made
• 17:58
  Speaker 2: some good plays while they're in there. And, you know, hey,
• 18:01
  Speaker 2: one of those top two guys goes down, and Alexander
• 18:03
  Speaker 2: or Brown, you know, I think Fletcher or CJ can
• 18:06
  Speaker 2: really come up and, you know, make an impact because
• 18:09
  Speaker 2: those are two good guys.
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: Let's transition over to my favorite part or my favorite
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: position on the football team, defensive backs. Clemson has some
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: really good ones. We have Ashton Hampton, who in my
• 18:21
  Speaker 1: opinion is the best quarterback in the ACC. He's the
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: guy that, you know, played high school football in Tallahassee
• 18:27
  Speaker 1: as well, graduated from Florida High, so I know he's
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: got his game circled to kind of come back and
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: play in front of some hometown folks, and this is
• 18:34
  Speaker 1: a matchup. Him and Deuce Robinson is the biggest matchup,
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: in my opinion, for this game. We're going to be
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: watching a lot. And of course, you have Jerome Carter III.
• 18:43
  Speaker 1: This game means a lot to that kid as well.
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: He's a Lake City, Florida type of kid, well, Florida
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: kid from the area. His dad also played at Florida State,
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: was a really good defensive back, and Jerome Carter II.
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: Of course, you got Corey Myrick has been a playmaker
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: for Clemson as well. So we'll talk about the secondary
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: as they match up against Deuce Robinson. There's some very
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: explosive receivers for FSU.
• 19:06
  Speaker 4: On that end.
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: So let's talk about what those guys bring to the table,
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: what they want to do. And, of course, you've got
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: all-world speedster in Makai Danzy as well.
• 19:15
  Speaker 4: So let's talk about defensive backs, what they bring to
• 19:16
  Speaker 4: the table.
• 19:17
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, Ashton Hampton, you know, you say, yeah,
• 19:19
  Speaker 2: I think he's been one of the best defensive backs
• 19:21
  Speaker 2: in the ACC. Honestly, the nation, you know, I mean,
• 19:26
  Speaker 2: I put up Ashton Hampton, you know, what he's doing
• 19:28
  Speaker 2: up with anybody in the country. You know, I think
• 19:30
  Speaker 2: he's been their best player this season. And, you know,
• 19:32
  Speaker 2: he's been definitely been the most consistent play. Even when
• 19:34
  Speaker 2: they got the doors blown off him against LSU, I
• 19:37
  Speaker 2: thought Ashton Hampton was fine. You know, I don't think
• 19:39
  Speaker 2: Ashton Hampton's had a bad game this season.
• 19:41
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 19:43
  Speaker 2: And, you know, he doesn't have a lot of interceptions,
• 19:45
  Speaker 2: but he certainly does have a lot of pass breakups.
• 19:47
  Speaker 3: I think he leads the ACC in nine.
• 19:49
  Speaker 2: So he's been incredibly, incredibly hard to throw on this season.
• 19:53
  Speaker 3: And he'll travel with guys' best receivers, too.
• 19:55
  Speaker 2: You know, Malachi Toney, you know, he's mostly a slot guy,
• 19:59
  Speaker 2: and Ashton Hampton mostly plays on the outside. But he
• 20:01
  Speaker 2: traveled with him in the slot, and I think he
• 20:03
  Speaker 2: held his own. Toney made some plays in that Clemson game, but,
• 20:06
  Speaker 2: you know, I think Ashton Hampton did a really good
• 20:07
  Speaker 2: job against Malachi Toney in that game, it's been hard
• 20:11
  Speaker 2: for receivers to really beat Ashton Arrington this season, you know,
• 20:14
  Speaker 2: alongside you have Elliot Washington, who, you know, I think
• 20:17
  Speaker 2: has been their best guy at getting interceptions, you know,
• 20:21
  Speaker 2: and he's got pass breakups too, he's got four pass breakups,
• 20:24
  Speaker 2: he's got three interceptions this season, he's been a pretty
• 20:27
  Speaker 2: big ball magnet as well, so he's pretty hard to
• 20:30
  Speaker 2: throw on as well, and that's their number two corner.
• 20:34
  Speaker 2: In terms of who they have in the slots, they
• 20:36
  Speaker 2: had Corey and Gibson, but he's out for the season
• 20:38
  Speaker 2: with a knee injury. So recently they've turned to Donovan Starr,
• 20:42
  Speaker 2: who I think he's been solid. He had a good
• 20:45
  Speaker 2: outing against Charleston Southern in his first start at nickel.
• 20:49
  Speaker 2: Had a pass breakup, and I think he did a
• 20:50
  Speaker 2: good job against Virginia Tech as well. So, you know,
• 20:54
  Speaker 2: the safeties, you know, Jerome Carter, Corey Myrick. Ronan Hannafin as.
• 20:59
  Speaker 3: Well as someone that they'll get in there.
• 21:01
  Speaker 2: They actually do like putting out three safety packages as
• 21:04
  Speaker 2: well with Carter, Myrick, and Hannafin. So that's a packet
• 21:07
  Speaker 2: that you could see sometimes against Florida State this Saturday
• 21:12
  Speaker 2: because they really like that. And Tom Allen likes that
• 21:14
  Speaker 2: as well because those are three safeties who, you know,
• 21:18
  Speaker 2: they're all starting caliber guys, you know. And so, you know,
• 21:20
  Speaker 2: you get them all out there at the same time.
• 21:22
  Speaker 2: It's gone well for Clemson this season. So I think
• 21:24
  Speaker 2: that their secondary– I think across the board, offensive defense,
• 21:28
  Speaker 2: I think secondary has been their best and most consistent unit.
• 21:31
  Speaker 3: And, you know, all starts at the top of Ashton Hampton.
• 21:34
  Speaker 2: And I agree.
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: You brought up a good point, which makes me, as
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: a defensive back guy, makes me smile.
• 21:39
  Speaker 4: That's a lost art. And that's following the receiver.
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: And to see Ashton follow Malachi Toney throughout the Miami
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: game was definitely something I've truly enjoyed watching. Let's go
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: ahead and move on to your prediction.
• 21:51
  Speaker 4: Give me some of your do's and don'ts. What do
• 21:53
  Speaker 4: you think how this game will go? Give me a
• 21:54
  Speaker 4: prediction if you have.
• 21:56
  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, Clemson, you know, if there's a game where
• 21:59
  Speaker 2: this passing offense is going to get going, it's got
• 22:02
  Speaker 2: to be this one because, you know, Florida State's been
• 22:04
  Speaker 2: one of the worst pass defenses in the ACC this season,
• 22:07
  Speaker 2: and Clemson's been one of the worst passing offenses in
• 22:10
  Speaker 2: the ACC this season. So, you know, it's kind of
• 22:14
  Speaker 2: stoppable force versus movable object kind of stuff right there. So,
• 22:17
  Speaker 2: you know, something's got to give. Something has to give there,
• 22:20
  Speaker 2: you know, Clemson. I think they have to try to
• 22:23
  Speaker 2: find a way to push the ball downfield. I know
• 22:24
  Speaker 2: you have a freshman quarterback. I know you try to
• 22:26
  Speaker 2: play conservative sometimes. But, you know, I think you have
• 22:28
  Speaker 2: to do it. I think there are going to be
• 22:30
  Speaker 2: ways where you can pass the ball and push the
• 22:33
  Speaker 2: ball downfield, push past the sticks against this Florida State defense.
• 22:35
  Speaker 2: I think that Clemson must, must, must do that. I
• 22:39
  Speaker 2: think they must, must do that. And for defense, you know,
• 22:42
  Speaker 2: it's tall ass because, you know, this defense has been
• 22:44
  Speaker 2: asked to do so, so much. You know, against Virginia Tech,
• 22:47
  Speaker 2: they play about as good of a game as– You
• 22:50
  Speaker 2: could have asked them, and they gave a couple touchdowns.
• 22:54
  Speaker 2: But overall, the offense just wasn't productive enough. You know,
• 22:56
  Speaker 2: if the offense was more productive, you know, that's probably
• 22:58
  Speaker 2: about a 7, 10-point win for Clemson. You're sitting here
• 23:01
  Speaker 2: praising the defense a lot. But, you know, the defense
• 23:05
  Speaker 2: has to do what it's been doing, and it's just,
• 23:07
  Speaker 2: you know, give the offense time because there's going to
• 23:09
  Speaker 2: be some growing pains for this offense. There's going to
• 23:12
  Speaker 2: be some things where it's like, oh, man, this offense
• 23:13
  Speaker 2: can't move the ball again. You know, the defense just
• 23:16
  Speaker 2: has to keep making stops. The secondary has to keep
• 23:18
  Speaker 2: everything on point, you know, Ashton Hampton, if he follows
• 23:22
  Speaker 2: a Duke Washington around the field, he's got to be
• 23:25
  Speaker 2: able to shut him down like he did in Malachi
• 23:27
  Speaker 2: Toney and other top receivers that he's faced throughout the season.
• 23:31
  Speaker 2: So those are my keys. Most of the keys pretty
• 23:33
  Speaker 2: much lie on offense. This offense has to get going.
• 23:36
  Speaker 2: I think the defense is doing everything you can ask
• 23:38
  Speaker 2: them to do right now, and this offense really has
• 23:40
  Speaker 2: to get it turned around, especially the passing. For my prediction, though,
• 23:45
  Speaker 2: I think Clemson's going to come in on top. You know,
• 23:47
  Speaker 2: I think Clemson's got its kind of two teams that
• 23:50
  Speaker 2: are kind of stuck in the mud right now trying
• 23:52
  Speaker 2: to figure out where to go. But I think Clemson
• 23:55
  Speaker 2: just has a little more going for it right now. So,
• 23:57
  Speaker 2: you know, more in the week, a lot of, you know,
• 23:59
  Speaker 2: kind of more maybe stronger analysis as I study the
• 24:03
  Speaker 2: teams more and things like that. But right now my
• 24:06
  Speaker 2: pick is Clemson, and I think I might stick with
• 24:07
  Speaker 2: that before Saturday.
• 24:09
  Speaker 4: I mean, not a bad pick at all.
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: So I think it's going to come down to, like
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: you said, Clemson's offense versus the FSU defense. I do
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: think the offense will be able to get some opportunities
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: just because the.
• 24:21
  Speaker 4: Defense has been that bad for FSU.
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: But on the flip end, I do think FSU defense
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: capitalizes on certain plays due to just the inability of
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: the Clemson offense. And with that being said, I do
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: think FSU offense capitalizes enough due to the inability or
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: non-effectiveness of the Clemson offense, whenever you want to call it,
• 24:40
  Speaker 1: and just get the defense in certain situations. I do
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: think it'll be a close one. So I'm going to
• 24:43
  Speaker 1: go 27. the 24 FSU. But again, I can see
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: it going in a completely opposite direction. If Florida State
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: does lose this game, it can get really interesting in
• 24:54
  Speaker 1: Tallahassee as far as, you know, the hot seat for
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: Mike Norvell.
• 24:57
  Speaker 4: So we'll see how things play out. Yeah, Nick, this.
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: This game has a lot riding on a lot of things.
• 25:04
  Speaker 2: And I think another thing to watch, too, is, you know,
• 25:06
  Speaker 2: last week when they played Virginia Tech, Virginia Tech had
• 25:08
  Speaker 2: one of the best and still has one of the
• 25:10
  Speaker 2: best rush defenses in the ACC. I think they're one
• 25:12
  Speaker 2: of the few teams in the ACC allowing less than
• 25:14
  Speaker 2: 100 rushing yards per game. You know, Florida State's kind
• 25:17
  Speaker 2: of on the opposite end of that. They're allowing, I think, 180,
• 25:20
  Speaker 2: 178 rushing yards per game, something like that. You know,
• 25:24
  Speaker 2: that can open up some stuff for Clemson because, you know,
• 25:27
  Speaker 2: their passing offense may not be– still may not be
• 25:29
  Speaker 2: that high. You know, you're a young freshman quarterback. You
• 25:31
  Speaker 2: have an ineffective offensive coordinator. You know, pass pro is
• 25:34
  Speaker 2: kind of up and down. But they can run the ball.
• 25:38
  Speaker 2: You know, and Gideon Davidson, if you get him out
• 25:39
  Speaker 2: there in space, you know, he can really make a
• 25:40
  Speaker 2: play and break out a big one. So, you know,
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: that may be how Clemson wins. You know, they just
• 25:45
  Speaker 2: keep it on the ground because they can. Because Florida
• 25:47
  Speaker 2: State hasn't proven they can really stop the run. Maybe
• 25:51
  Speaker 2: that's how they win.
• 25:51
  Speaker 3: Maybe they won't even need a pass. Who knows? They
• 25:54
  Speaker 3: didn't really need that against Cal. They beat Cal. So...
• 25:57
  Speaker 3: you know, that's another thing to watch.
• 25:58
  Speaker 2: You know, I think Gideon Davidson, you know, they need
• 26:01
  Speaker 2: a big game for Gideon Davidson because there's going to
• 26:03
  Speaker 2: be opportunities there for him to go up against the
• 26:05
  Speaker 2: Florida State run defense and make some plays.
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: No, that's a really good point, Nick.
• 26:09
  Speaker 4: And, hell, you're right.
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: That could be the run game for Clemson could be
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: just what the doctor orders for us. The quarterback in
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: the passing game leaving some pressure because, hell, Louisville ran
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: for damn near 400 yards. Damn near 400 yards running
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: against Florida State. So, Anybody can run on Florida State
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: at this point in time, so that's a very good point.
• 26:28
  Speaker 1: This is my last point before I get you up
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: out of here. I want to see how Florida State,
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: how the running game for Florida State looks. Trey Wiseman
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: is going to be pushed up to the number one
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: running back. We're probably going to see true freshmen. He's
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: a four-star, highly recruited guy in Amari Thomas, so I'm
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: really high on it. I think he's going to be
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: a really good player moving into the number two spot.
• 26:45
  Speaker 1: So the running game is going to be interesting. I
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: really do think Norvell may have to And he's already
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: done a lot. I think Ashton Daniels is leading the
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: ACC in rushing touchdowns, if I'm not mistaken. But he
• 26:55
  Speaker 1: may need to rely more on those legs for Ashton
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: to kind of compensate for losing Usman for him. All right, Nick,
• 27:02
  Speaker 1: appreciate you, man. Make sure you guys hit the like
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: and subscribe button. Let the people know where they can
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: find you at.
• 27:08
  Speaker 3: Of course, yeah, yeah.
• 27:09
  Speaker 2: So I'm on Twitter, at Nick underscore Coppola underscore underscore,
• 27:13
  Speaker 2: two underscores there. At the end, that's where I post
• 27:16
  Speaker 2: a lot of my content, post a lot of cool stats, information,
• 27:18
  Speaker 2: things like that. I'm on Facebook as well. I don't
• 27:21
  Speaker 2: post as much on Facebook as I do on Twitter,
• 27:23
  Speaker 2: but I'm still there. Nick Coppola, Clemson Sports is where
• 27:26
  Speaker 2: I'll promote some of my content there as well.
• 27:31
  Speaker 3: Yeah, pretty much where I'm at, Twitter and Facebook. Find
• 27:33
  Speaker 3: me there. Find all my stuff.
• 27:34
  Speaker 2: And, of course, you can find me on the Greenville
• 27:36
  Speaker 2: News website as well, on the Clemson section there. All
• 27:39
  Speaker 2: my work is going to be posted there. So everything
• 27:40
  Speaker 2: from this week leading up to the game, it's all
• 27:42
  Speaker 2: going to be there.
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: Make sure you guys tap in with Nick and check
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: out all his content. Again, hit that like and subscribe button.
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: Appreciate you guys for joining.