Latest / The Craig Way Show / Clemson Tigers broadcaster Don Munson previews First Round of the College Football Playoff

Transcript

Clemson Tigers broadcaster Don Munson previews First Round of the College Football Playoff · The Craig Way Show

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Holiday season is always exciting time. College football postseason is
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: always exciting time. And remember, we used to get really
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: pumped up about bowl games. If you're going to a
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: bowl game. I grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina, and
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: if North Carolina or NC State or Wake or Duke
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: made it to a bowl game, that was a pretty
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: big deal. Now we were used to seeing Clemson get
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: there because they really started coming of age in the
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: seventies into the eighties and they've been had an outstanding
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: program for.
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: Years and years.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: But this is new and exciting and different because the
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: expansion of the College Football Playoff. Joining us on the
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: highline to talk about this from the Clemson perspective, very
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: pleased to be joined by the play by play voice
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: of the Clemson Tigers, Don Munson. DoD I really appreciate
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: the time.
• 0:39
  Speaker 3: You know.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: One of the things that gets me excited for the
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: first time ever, I get to college football game between
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: Texas and Clemson because they've never played before.
• 0:48
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a little unusual.
• 0:50
  Speaker 4: You would think that these.
• 0:51
  Speaker 3: Two clubs with a history that they've had would have
• 0:54
  Speaker 3: played one another at some point in time, but that
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: hadn't been the case.
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: So this will be. It should be a lot of fun.
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: On Saturday, I heard Dabbo from the news conference, Yester said,
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: they say this, I Steve Sarkisian said this, and I've
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: heard a couple other people other than Sarcindebo refer to
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: this particular type of incarnation of this playoff and the
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: run up to it, the preparation as and the operative
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: word was different in terms of the time away, the
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: time back and trying to make it kind of like
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: a bye week, but it was a little bit different
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: than a bye week. Because of all of that. What's
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: been the buzz around the Clemson community everything about, you know,
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: wrapping their arms around this, this playoff game, that the Tigers,
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: who are veterans in the college football playoffs scene with
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: seven prior playoff game appearances, have another one here in
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: front of them.
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that everybody is trying to wrap their
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: arms around this because obviously, you know, prior to this,
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: you wouldn't you'd be playing around January the first, maybe
• 1:54
  Speaker 3: you know, the thirty first we've even played I think
• 1:57
  Speaker 3: a game on the thirtieth before in the playoffs, but
• 2:00
  Speaker 3: but not four days before Christmas. And I think that's
• 2:03
  Speaker 3: the other thing is that people are just trying to
• 2:04
  Speaker 3: put their arms around that, which is a marvelous stroke
• 2:07
  Speaker 3: of genius by the committee to put these games on campus,
• 2:11
  Speaker 3: because you're gonna get more people by doing that, by
• 2:14
  Speaker 3: putting them on campus sites. Thank goodness, Clemson is coming
• 2:17
  Speaker 3: to Texas and not going to State College, not going
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: to South Bend, not going to Columbus where the temperature
• 2:23
  Speaker 3: won't even touch, you know, forty degrees for any of
• 2:27
  Speaker 3: those games.
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: Are you Are you saying don that you could live
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: with sixty five and sunny as it's forecast to be.
• 2:32
  Speaker 4: Here on Saturday, Yes, I can. I was kidding some.
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: Of my buddies up north, and I'm showing up in
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: short sleeves and they're going to be showing up.
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: In their long flannels. So yeah, no, I'll be taking
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: care of, no doubt about it.
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: Hey, take us through a little bit of review on
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: how this thing came out, because I know, I know
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: how fans react, and after you know, the season opener
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: and thirty four to three against Georgia, I'm sure there
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: were those who were ready to hop off the maandwagon.
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: And I also from hearing and reading and seeing the
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: things about Dabo of the Year. He just kind of
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: puts his head down and it looked like the program
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: did it as well, and really kind of took off
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: from there. Had the one slip up at Louisville, but
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: other than that, it's just really kind of kicked it
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: in the high gear after that, and of course South
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: Carolina being a rivalry game. But how about the mindset
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: and what the guys did after that Georgia game to
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: really turn the fortunes around.
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: Well, I think what really worked out in their favor
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: is that you come off of on the neutral side
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: against Georgia, the game being played in Atlanta. You can
• 3:32
  Speaker 3: call that a quote unquote I guess neutral site. There
• 3:34
  Speaker 3: were way more Georgia fans in there than there were
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: Clemson fans before for that ballgame. But it helps having
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: home games in a row and then getting back on
• 3:44
  Speaker 3: track getting some things going offensively. Kate of course, had
• 3:47
  Speaker 3: a magnificent game against Appalachian State where all the numbers
• 3:51
  Speaker 3: that he put up were basically in the first half,
• 3:54
  Speaker 3: I went what twenty four to twenty six I think
• 3:56
  Speaker 3: in that game for better than three hundred and twenty yards,
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: got them rolled, and I got the offense going. You know,
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: the team were kind of playing together. Offense was feeding defense,
• 4:05
  Speaker 3: defense was feeding the offense, and it carried on until
• 4:08
  Speaker 3: you're right, until we got to that Louisville game and
• 4:10
  Speaker 3: then it kind of.
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: That wasn't the case.
• 4:12
  Speaker 3: And then but the real team moment certainly was at
• 4:15
  Speaker 3: Pittsburgh because their their offensive line was just in shambles.
• 4:21
  Speaker 3: They thought that they had it worked out. Very first
• 4:23
  Speaker 3: play the kid that was starting at left tackle went down,
• 4:26
  Speaker 3: so now they really the line had to shift all around.
• 4:29
  Speaker 3: Blake Miller moved over to left tackle, he hadn't played
• 4:32
  Speaker 3: that since he was in high school. Walker Parks had
• 4:35
  Speaker 3: to move out to the tackle man.
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: It was a mess.
• 4:38
  Speaker 3: But to see club Nick make the run late in
• 4:40
  Speaker 3: the contest to give them the win, and basically that
• 4:43
  Speaker 3: run got them into the a SEC Championship game and
• 4:46
  Speaker 3: allowed them the opportunity to be where they are right
• 4:49
  Speaker 3: now on a trip to Austin.
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: Do you think that they kind of felled, especially after
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: the win at pitt which which put him into the
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: end of the a SEC Championships. They had the games
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: against the Citadel in South Carolina, the non conference games
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: following that, they kind of felt even free or looser,
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: playing with house money, so to speak, because SMU was
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: coming in as the higher seed and having not lost
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: a conference game, even though they knew they had to
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: win it to get into the playoff.
• 5:18
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that they were an under Clemson was
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: an underdog going and Clemson, you know, going in ACC
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: championship games, hadn't been an underdog. So but they were
• 5:26
  Speaker 3: the ones with the experience. You know, they had won
• 5:28
  Speaker 3: seven of the last nine and so and so now
• 5:31
  Speaker 3: it's you know, eight of ten that they won. And
• 5:33
  Speaker 3: this was SMU's first fara into that championship game.
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: Yes, they won an AAC I.
• 5:38
  Speaker 3: Get that, but a little bit different than the power
• 5:40
  Speaker 3: for so Clemson, and Clemson jumped on them quickly, you know,
• 5:44
  Speaker 3: got out a got out to a quick lead, and
• 5:46
  Speaker 3: you know, able to hang on in the fourth quarter
• 5:49
  Speaker 3: sixteen seconds left and then everybody knows what happened with
• 5:52
  Speaker 3: just sixteen seconds on the clock, and you.
• 5:54
  Speaker 4: Know, it was a kind of a miraculous win.
• 5:56
  Speaker 3: And but something I think really has catapulted Clemson through
• 5:59
  Speaker 3: practice and you can still feel a little bit of
• 6:01
  Speaker 3: that vibe even today on campus.
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: Visiting with Don Munson. Clemson played by play voice here
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: on the Craigway Show on Sports Radio AM thirteen hundred
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: of the Zone the last time, And you correct me
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: if I'm incorrect on this, but I think I think
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: that the last time Kate Klebnick played a game in
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: the state of Texas would have been the twenty twenty
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: one UIL High School Football State championship game. I actually
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: called that game when he went up against quinn Ewers
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: in South Lake, Carrol and he had that Westlake team
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: that had guys who played for Texas now, like Michael
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: Taff and Ethan Burke and several of those other guys
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: on it. But he's always been kind of, to me,
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: like a constant level Lake a guy who was always
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: kind of cool and calm and collected when he played
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: at Westlake. And it looks like he's just been like
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: that all along since his time at Clemson.
• 6:51
  Speaker 3: Oh yeah, you know, he's obviously the speed of the
• 6:54
  Speaker 3: game is changed a little bit from high school to college,
• 6:56
  Speaker 3: so I think he's had to get used to that.
• 6:59
  Speaker 3: But as this season has gone along, you know, you
• 7:01
  Speaker 3: can just see he's getting He's getting more and more season.
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: I mean, he's just getting to be a.
• 7:06
  Speaker 3: Better and better quarterback coming off you know, an MVP
• 7:09
  Speaker 3: appearance obviously in the ACC championship team. You know, you
• 7:12
  Speaker 3: hope that he's that he's playing at his best here
• 7:15
  Speaker 3: late in the year. It certainly looks that way, he says,
• 7:18
  Speaker 3: a puzzle though around him are better and also a
• 7:20
  Speaker 3: healthier for that matter, although his running back MafA not
• 7:24
  Speaker 3: going to be close to one hundred percent, So that'll
• 7:25
  Speaker 3: be interesting to see how how the running back situation
• 7:28
  Speaker 3: plays out this coming Saturday.
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: You know, don one thing that you just brought up there,
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: of course, and I heard start talk about it and
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: and Dabo did on this press conference as well about
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: nobody nobody really is one hundred percent right now, and
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: that's gonna be one thing that'll be interesting to follow
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: in the college football playoff. That rosters are are a
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: bit banged up, but you kind of expect that in December.
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: And then the other thing is this really very strange.
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: Here's that wording in different type of identity with the
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: transfer portal being open right now, and and I know,
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: uh when when it comes to the portal, uh, Dabo
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: has has been outspoken about how he kind of keeps
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: his distance from it in terms of guys coming in. Uh,
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: but it's but it's it's a weird thing and then
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: it's a it's just a weird dynamic for college football
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: to be going through.
• 8:18
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and I guess you know, so far as far
• 8:20
  Speaker 3: as a playoff team that's involved, the biggest thing that's
• 8:22
  Speaker 3: happening in that is with at Penn State with their
• 8:25
  Speaker 3: backup quarterback going into the portal. But for Texas and Clemson,
• 8:29
  Speaker 3: you know, really they if they had kids go to
• 8:32
  Speaker 3: the portal, it hasn't been. It's been a fourteen guy,
• 8:35
  Speaker 3: a third team guy. So you know, yes, it does
• 8:38
  Speaker 3: take away a little bit from your death, but it's
• 8:39
  Speaker 3: not somebody that you're kind of really depending upon. I mean,
• 8:42
  Speaker 3: let's be really honest, Craig, coming in this game, probably
• 8:46
  Speaker 3: forty players will play maybe free school. That's it.
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's that's just the way that's going to be.
• 8:51
  Speaker 3: And it's gonna be your best forty that are going
• 8:53
  Speaker 3: to be out there, So you're not going to get
• 8:55
  Speaker 3: too deep. I don't think into the rosters.
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: Yeah, no question about that. What do you recall of
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: Andrew mccouba. I mean, I called high school games we
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: played at LBJ High and then he was off to
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: Clemson and we all wished him the best, and then
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: low and behold, he winds up coming back home. Wanted
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: to get back home. What are your memories of Andrew
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: playing for Clemson.
• 9:15
  Speaker 3: Well, one, he's physical, likes to hit, likes to tackle,
• 9:19
  Speaker 3: has very good instincts. You know, I think he has
• 9:21
  Speaker 3: very good ball instincts. And in particular, he's you know,
• 9:25
  Speaker 3: I wouldn't call him a shutdown corner, but you know
• 9:28
  Speaker 3: he's he's a pretty good cover guy from from that standpoint.
• 9:31
  Speaker 3: He'll give you. You know, for us, he was. He
• 9:34
  Speaker 3: was a good special teams kid as well, So you know,
• 9:37
  Speaker 3: those those are the things. You know, So you start
• 9:39
  Speaker 3: mentioning all that because he's just a baller. I mean,
• 9:42
  Speaker 3: he just he likes to play ball. He likes contact.
• 9:45
  Speaker 3: It's important to him. And usually it's in these situations
• 9:49
  Speaker 3: that Andrew when he was here for Clemson, the bigger
• 9:51
  Speaker 3: the game, the bigger he played.
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I have no evidence to back this up, but
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: I'm going to say I have a feeling Andrew mccuba
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: at the SEC in plays that were originally called targeting
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: and then after review, were deemed not targeting. He had
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: one of the obviously obviously with what he did last
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: week in the in our week before last in the
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: in the SEC Championship. But that speaks to your thing
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: about hard hitting. And both of these teams really strike
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: me as guys that will deliver a hard blow and
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: and and it looks like it. It's certainly been that
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: for the Tigers in the second half of the season.
• 10:30
  Speaker 3: Oh yeah, I mean, I you know, you know Clemson,
• 10:33
  Speaker 3: and I think this is going to be one of
• 10:34
  Speaker 3: the key Saturday.
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: You know, neither. Let's me also be really honest, Greig.
• 10:38
  Speaker 3: Coming in neither Clemson North Texas, you would say they're
• 10:42
  Speaker 3: known as being physical ball clubs.
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: They're just they're just they.
• 10:45
  Speaker 3: Don't have that, you know, they don't. They're not looked
• 10:48
  Speaker 3: upon that way from the outside looking in, you know,
• 10:51
  Speaker 3: and I know from from my inn, you know, from
• 10:53
  Speaker 3: your in, that's probably that's probably little excuse. I can
• 10:56
  Speaker 3: tell you Clemson's physical, and you can tell me that
• 10:58
  Speaker 3: Texas is physical.
• 10:59
  Speaker 2: I'm gonna believe that.
• 11:00
  Speaker 3: So I think physicality really is going to come into
• 11:03
  Speaker 3: play here on Saturday. And because of that, somebody's going down,
• 11:08
  Speaker 3: somebody is going to get injured in this game, and
• 11:11
  Speaker 3: that's going to be interesting to see when that piece
• 11:13
  Speaker 3: of the puzzle is gone, what is the piece of
• 11:16
  Speaker 3: Phil's And to me, that could be a very much
• 11:18
  Speaker 3: a determining factor in Saturday.
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: It's a great point. Hey, before I let you go,
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: I want to shift gears and get you to tell
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: folks a little bit about Clemson basketball, because it was
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: it was a heck of a performance. I watched it
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: in Raleigh the night before Texas played the NC He
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: stayed in that SEC ACC Challenge thing and to see
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: the Tigers take down arguably the second or third best
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: team in the SEC in Kentucky. And you got kind
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: of a pretty big non conference rival game tonight, don't you.
• 11:48
  Speaker 3: Oh yeah, we're while Mama in the car on the
• 11:50
  Speaker 3: way to South Carolina. So we have the game Cocks
• 11:52
  Speaker 3: tonight at seven o'clock. And this one is, you know,
• 11:55
  Speaker 3: is always a good matchup. Both these teams seem to
• 11:58
  Speaker 3: be playing.
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: Really, really well.
• 12:00
  Speaker 3: Clemson coming off an overtime loss unfortunately at home to Memphis,
• 12:04
  Speaker 3: and what was just a great contest. That Memphis team
• 12:06
  Speaker 3: is gonna make, gonna make the NCAA tournament and has
• 12:09
  Speaker 3: a chance to make some noise.
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: But I think this Clemson.
• 12:11
  Speaker 3: Team is is an NCAA tournament team as well. Tonight
• 12:15
  Speaker 3: usually has something to say.
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: About that though.
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: You know, the the way that Clemson comes in they're ranked,
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: and the way that they usually play against South Carolina
• 12:22
  Speaker 3: in years past has been an indicator if this is
• 12:25
  Speaker 3: indeed a team that is able to make it to
• 12:28
  Speaker 3: the NCAA's Brownell, our coach Brad Brownell, has has won
• 12:32
  Speaker 3: five of the last seven against South Carolina, including the
• 12:35
  Speaker 3: last two in Columbia.
• 12:37
  Speaker 4: So we'll we'll see if we can't up that a
• 12:39
  Speaker 4: little bit here tonight, and.
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: That will always endear you the Tiger fans, right.
• 12:44
  Speaker 3: Oh yeah, oh, you know these you know people out
• 12:46
  Speaker 3: in Texas. I understand, you know, you know, it's it's Texas.
• 12:50
  Speaker 3: And you know how many rivals does Texas have.
• 12:52
  Speaker 4: I understand Texas, Texas, A and m IS, but it seems.
• 12:54
  Speaker 3: Like Texas, Oklahoma. You know, whoever Texas is playing is.
• 12:58
  Speaker 2: Going to be their rival. But I can tell you
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: that here in this state.
• 13:01
  Speaker 3: It's Clemson, it's South Carolina.
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: There's no fence sitting.
• 13:04
  Speaker 3: You're either you're either a game cock or you're a
• 13:06
  Speaker 3: tiger and that's just the way it goes here in
• 13:09
  Speaker 3: the Palabado State.
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: Well, we all got a chance to uh to to experience,
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: uh the rebirth of that with that thing about sitting
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: on one Saturd or the other when Texas played Texas
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: A and M. But to answer your question, I think
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: somebody did a survey and said eleven schools claimed Texas
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: as the rifle. And I think for Texas you can
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: say it's A and M. It's Oklahoma and maybe Arkansas rebuilding.
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: But beyond that, who knows, you know, it's it's it'll
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: be interesting seeing so it's Saturday, it's Clemson against Texas. Uh,
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: and don' look forward to meet you in person, and
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: I hope you have a great trip here to Austin,
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: have a great call to night, and I look forward
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: to seeing you on Saturday here in the capital city.
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: All I appreciate you having me on.
• 13:49
  Speaker 3: Always good to talk.
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: With a Hall of famer, and look forward to meeting
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: you on Saturday.
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: Thank you, Don appreciate it all right. That is the
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: play by play voice of the Clemson Tigers, Don Monson,
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: who will be here, and it'll be a lot of
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: fun really looking forward to this matchup between Texas and
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: Clemson on Saturday afternoon. All right, up next, we bring
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: you today's edition of Inconceivable and that has a Dallas
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: Cowboys connection. Will continue on Sports Radio AM thirteen under
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: the zone of the iHeartRadio app.