Cyclones Preparing for Clemson Offense Playing Its Best Football of Season

ORLANDO, FL- While Iowa State hasn't quite lived up to expectations this season in the win-loss column, the Cyclones' defense has been every bit as good as advertised.

After struggling to find any kind of consistency over the first half of the season, the Clemson offense finally started to establish an indentity through the rushing attack over the final few games of the regular season. Iowa State defensive coordinator Jon Heackock credits that improvement to some of the younger players having gotten more experience under their belts, more so than anything the Tigers were doing differently scheme wise.

"You see the change," Heacock said. "I don't know, I don't see a ton of schematic changes, to be honest with you. I think what you see is I think the guys maybe got comfortable, the experience of guys that were playing, it was a newer group, those kind of things.

Coming into the Cheez-It Bowl against No. 19 Clemson, Iowa State ranks No. 10 in the nation in total defense (310.3 YPG), No. 21 in scoring defense (20.58 PPG), and No. 22 in rush defense (122.1 YPG).

With the Tigers having racked up close to 600 yards on the ground over the past two games and averaging 242 rushing yards over its past three games, Heacock said the Cyclones will have to prepare for a different Clemson team than the one they saw on film from earlier in the season.

"You do notice a difference in the second half of the season, as you're talking about," Heacock said. "You know, scoring upwards of 36, 30-some points a game. The ball is going up and down the field, success running the football, throwing the football."

"Again, just watching probably the experience all those guys got as the season went along. They improved and got better and better and were playing; as coaches, playing their best football at the end of the year, and that's what you hope. And that's really what I saw on film."

Clemson also comes into the contest with a new offensive coordinator. For the first time since the 2014 Russell Athletic Bowl win over Oklahoma, the Tigers will have a new coach calling the plays, as Brandon Streeter moves into his new role with the program. However, Iowa State won't prepare any different, despite the change.

"I think you have to prep for what you see," Heacock said. "I don't think you chase ghosts. I think you do chase some. Obviously, we go back through years of film, whatever we can find."

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