Venables vs. Book, Round II: Clemson DC Gets Another Shot at Notre Dame QB
It wasn't like Brent Venables got conservative on Nov. 7.
The Clemson defensive coordinator got after Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book and the Irish offensive line time and time again in a 47-40 double-overtime loss to the home team in South Bend.
However, time and time again, Book sidestepped defenders or ran away from pressure and found pass-catchers down the field.
"He makes so many plays off schedule and he does it routinely," Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. "You got guys there, he'll make them miss. He's a problem. We didn't do a very good job against him in the first game. He was the difference in the game."
It turned out to be the lowest number of sack yards Clemson's produced this season, and that not only helped the Irish stay in the game, but it was also a huge reason they tied it in regulation and won in extra time.
"He really knows how to scramble," Swinney said. "Sometimes he's scrambling to go run for it and other times he's scrambling to open guys up because they're as good at the scramble drill as anybody you're going to play."
Venables, a mastermind schematically, will get a second chance in 2020 and looking to pull ahead in the rubber match against Book when the No. 3 Tigers take on No. 2 Notre Dame for the ACC Championship in Charlotte on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Clemson's veteran defensive leader has watched Book grow from a QB he owned in the 2018 Cotton Bowl to a guy the Tigers couldn't get down last month. Book, who completed just 50 percent of his passes for 160 yards and an average of 4.7 yards per attempt in that postseason loss to Clemson, carved up the Tigers in the first 2020 meeting with 310 yards, an average of 7.9 yards per attempt and the game-tying TD pass, set up by a 53-yard completion to Avery Davis.
Venables says Book is so much more comfortable, experienced and confident, but he also sees, like Swinney, the ability to turn something into nothing, even when it actually is nothing.
"His ability to extend plays, really all year, create plays (is impressive)," Venables said. "Maybe it's just a simple throw away, a simple play that looks like a routine, second-and-long throwaway, and that's winning from an offensive perspective as opposed to taking a sack or putting the ball in jeopardy. He plays a very clean game and sees the field very well understands defenses. He's got a great supporting cast as well, but he's playing at a very very high level right now."
He's certainly helped by an NFL-type offensive line and a great pass protector in running back Kyren Williams, but Book has "a little magic to him," Swinney says.
In Round II on Saturday, expect Venables to get more creative given the fact that he simply has more bodies to throw out there. Linebackers Mike Jones Jr. and James Skalski and defensive tackle Tyler Davis missed the first showdown, and Venables lost several other key players during the game due to injury. All of those players should be good to go in Charlotte.
One thing to keep an eye on is the scheme. After that loss, Venables started playing freshman linebacker Trenton Simpson closer to the line of scrimmage along with Baylon Spector while having Jones more in coverage. That could come in handy getting more speed chasing Book and help stop ND's strong running game.
"For us to win the game, we've got to be more precise in what we do," Swinney said. "We've got to affect him and not let him get comfortable. That's the biggest thing we've got to do."
