Venables on Clemson's First Scrimmage: 'It All Matters the Same'

Clemson defensive coordinator doesn't put any more stock in the Tigers' first scrimmage of fall camp Saturday as he does any other aspect of season preparations.

What is Brent Venables looking for at Clemson's first scrimmage of fall camp Saturday? 

Well, the same things he's looking for every other practice. To the Tigers defensive coordinator, everything matters.

"I look for it every day. I don't wait for the scrimmage," Venables said. "I look at how we work and how we watch tape, how we do recovery, how we eat, how we're weighing in. The scrimmage is a byproduct of hopefully doing a lot of stuff right. But I don't put it all on the scrimmage. I look at all of it. It all matters to me." 

To Venables, it's about who shows up to compete in a pass skeleton on a Tuesday in the fourth practice. 

"That's a big deal," Venables said. "If it's not then we're doing it with the wrong guys. I don't put any more emphasis on any of it. Everything we do matters to me and it all matters the same. It all adds up." 

That doesn't mean there isn't merit in Saturday's stadium practice. The media and fans might make a big deal out of those because the three NCAA-allowed scrimmages are the closest thing to an actual game. But for it won't necessarily make Venables hand out spots because of how he approaches each and every fall camp practice. 

"You can do everything great but go out there and have an off day. OK, that happens, but you have a great track record of doing everything else," Venables said. "That's how I look at it."

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