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PLAYSTATION FIESTA BOWL: OHIO STATE VS CLEMSON

December 27, 2016

Brent Venables

Glendale, Arizona

Q. How is that battle upfront going to play out with your "D" line?
COACH VENABLES: I think it's critical. Not that that's earth-shattering news. You've got to win up front. And you've got to win more than you lose.

And it's been a group for us that's kind of carried us throughout the year, got some youth up there that have played well beyond their years, just a very mature group of guys.

And we've seen that group getting better and better as the year has gone on. But it's going to -- we're going to need our best effort going into this game, a real physical game.

Playing Ohio State a few years ago in the Orange Bowl, arguably one of our most physical games that we've played in my five short years here at Clemson.

And if they're about something, they're about toughness and they're about establishing the line of scrimmage. And, again, our guys will have to match it and then some.

Q. How is Tajh?
COACH VENABLES: He was okay. He was okay and really -- he was terrific. Again, quick release. Knows where he wants to throw with the ball. Good physical presence and running the quarterback powers and the read into the play and counters and draws and things of that nature. So it was an unbelievable look.

Q. Did he study up on it?
COACH VENABLES: He didn't need to. He can read a card. He's been there, done that. A lot of these offenses. I say it with all due respect, they're all pretty much the same.

They have the RPOs. And you've got a lot of fly-by action and a lot of eye candy and a downhill run game that's going to -- once that's established, he'll attack you on the outside and so forth. And moving the pocket and those kinds of things. So Tajh was a great look for us, great advantage, I would think.

Q. Have you been impressed with your impression of your defensive backs this year, just because the youth, and those guys figuring it out as they go?
COACH VENABLES: It's a group to me that to me I was very concerned with the lack of experience and the depth, didn't know what we had; and the numbers were, since last season we've lost -- we lost four safeties all in the two-deep. And to have that group, that back, that back five, if you will, play the way they have. And really it's been by committee at corner. Tank has been a mainstay for us.

But there's been a group of players there that have rotated, have exceeded our expectations. And to play as consistently -- and it's all you have to be.

You just have to play consistent. Don't have a lot of bust and things of that nature and be able to execute and do the little things well. For the most part, they have. They've been a real quiet, successful year for us. But have played better than I thought or just didn't know. There was no data to really say.

Q. They had different guys, the success they had with three different guys running for over 700 yards, does that change your aggressive mentality at all?
COACH VENABLES: Well, I mean, I just think you have to be -- it's like triple-option football. And it starts with the dive. And then you've got the quarterback. And then you're going to have an alley and pitch player. And you've got your play-action passes. And why does Georgia Tech complete on third-and-20 on everybody? Because they're in an option defense, option coverage. And it's just stressful.

And so to answer that, I think they've got a great complement of players that they use it the right way. And on any particular play they've got a run pass option, the RPOs. So if you spin that safety down, the backer bites the V gap, and they can throw it right over your head in one-on-one coverage.

Everybody's focusing on the quarterback on that little read power play, well, who has Waldo out here on the edge? So you've got to have edges on your defense but you have to be strong up the middle.

When we got soft against Virginia Tech, it's because guys were trying to play, seeing the eye candy, taking the bait, and we weren't strong at the point of attack when we needed to be.

And that to me is the dive. If you don't establish good defense and stopping the dive then everything works, everything works, offensively.

And so I think these teams are the same-- at the end of the day you've got to be strong at the point of attack. You've got to have edges to your defense. You have to leverage the football. And then you can't give up explosive plays in the throwing game.

When we played Ohio State in '13, whatever that was, we gave up. We played a lot of that game really well but we gave up some explosive plays in their passing game and off of all their play action on first and second downs and throw-backs and some post wheels off of early-down ride plays and they kept that game very interesting all the way to the end.

And this game will be no different. And for both defenses. Because we're built very similarly on offense, both their offense and our offense and a lot of the run-pass options and a lot of skill for the quarterbacks to get the ball to.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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