Elliott: Tigers ‘Focusing on the Journey’
While the hullabaloo surrounding the College Football Playoff and a historic undefeated streak can be a distraction, the No. 3 Clemson Tigers are working to stay grounded and keep their sights set squarely on the next opponent, the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes, according to co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach Tony Elliott.
As head coach Dabo Swinney has indicated in previous interviews, the Tigers have to win one more game to increase their winning streak and remain honed in on each individual game. Elliott agreed with that sentiment.
“I wouldn't say (I'm) getting greedy (for wins) because Coach Swinney does a great job of putting everything into perspective,” Elliott said. “And you can only do 28 when you do 1. So you've got to appreciate the one you're in.”
“For us, we're always focused on the journey, and not necessarily the destination,” Elliott added. “We have a clear vision of where the destination is, but we're focusing on the journey.”
After dispatching the Virginia Cavaliers by a score of 62-17 and picking up its 28th win in a row during the ACC championship game on Dec. 7 in Charlotte, Clemson will take on the Buckeyes on Dec. 28 at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz., in the semifinal round of the playoffs. No. 1 LSU will play No. 4 Oklahoma in the other semifinal game in Atlanta.
In the meantime, coaches will attempt to strike a balance between giving the players enough practice time and relaxation before the semifinal game, Elliott said.
“I think for Coach Swinney, it gives him just a great level of understanding of how to manage the schedule because as coaches, we want to go,” Elliott said. “You just had Coach (Brent) Venables up here, and he was ready to call the defense today. I'm ready to call the offense today. So we just want to go, go, go, go, go.
“... (Swinney) has an unbelievable sense of the team, the pulse of the team, but with the experience, he knows how to manage the schedules to make sure that we get the work that we need to get done, but at the same time too, we protect these players and make sure they get the proper rest.”
He said keeping a healthy perspective on what it takes to be successful on the field and all the elements that surround a big College Football Playoff game was important for players and coaches.
“We have an expectation to win,” Elliott said. “We understand what it takes to win, what's required in the preparation process. We understand the humility that we must possess to make sure that we respect that process, and I think that just allows us to stay grounded.
“... So even though we may have had 28 in a row, the best is still yet to come. And another thing, too, that I've learned is those are just moments. Those are just moments, and they're great moments, and you work extremely hard for those moments in your life. But they're just moments. It's the journey that really counts.”
For the Tigers, the journey doesn’t stop until they achieve the ultimate goal of winning another national title.
“I've heard coach (Swinney) say it a thousand times,” Elliott said. “(The) best is yet to come. In some ways, it's very difficult to grasp. In other ways, and I guess because I'm entrenched in it, and I see it so often, it's easy to believe. And I keep telling anybody, we're winning it this year. We're going to win it next year. We're going to win it the year after that, and people say, ‘You're crazy,’ and I'm like, ‘No because I can tell you that's what the belief system is inside this building.’”
For the Tigers to “win it” this year, the team will have to go through a feisty Ohio State program that has numerous similarities to the Buckeyes’ 2016 team, which fell 31-0 to Clemson that year in the Fiesta Bowl.
Elliott said the 2016 Ohio State team was “eerily similar, structure-wise” to the 2019 program.
“The players are different, but the structure is very, very similar,” Elliott said. “And again, they're (Ohio State) going to be sound. They're going to know how to line up. They're going to know how to make all the adjustments to all your formations. Anything you try to do to gain an advantage, they're going to be prepared for because they don't do a whole lot. But what they do, they're very, very good at. And they have very, very talented players that are brought in.”
He also said the Buckeyes were “very, very well-coached.”
“These guys, they don't vary their scheme a whole lot,” Elliott said. “They want to be dialed in on your tendencies. They want to be dialed in on what you're doing and let the players go play. They don't want to slow them down by doing too much schematically, and then they've got the talent to do it.”
He said he thought that ultimately, the game would be decided on the offensive and defensive lines of both teams.
“For us, it's all going to be set in the trenches,” Elliott said. “We got to be able to run the football effectively, and then when it's time to throw the football, we got to be able to protect. And that's not just the offensive line. That's the backs. That's the tight ends. That’s the receivers with their timing, with their depths. That's the quarterback, making sure he understands how long he can hold the ball (and) when he needs to get rid of it. … We believe the strength of our offense is that offensive line.
“The strength of their defense is that defensive line. And so whichever front comes to play is going to be the one that has the best opportunity to win.”
