Clemson kicker Greg Huegel spoke to the media during media day in Clemson earlier this week as the Tigers get set to play Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff at the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 29 in Arlington, Texas.

The Tigers are four quarters away from playing in the national championship game for the third time in four seasons.

Huegel on most memorable kick:

“One kick I will never forget is down in Florida State in (2016). When we were down by two, I will never forget that kick. That was such an awesome experience, especially being down there in Florida State.”

Huegel on freshman kicker B.T. Potter:

“I would say that BT helped me become a leader. When he came in, he was extremely highly recruited and highly ranked. A lot of times when guys like that come in, they’ll have a big ego and come in and expect to have the job…but that was not the case for him. He came in and put the work in every single day and he didn’t really come in expecting it to happen. That was really cool, and you don’t see that a lot with 5-star players. He’s helped me become a leader and we’ve grown a lot closer because of it.”

Huegel on the playoff process:

“I would say, my first year I really didn’t understand the length of the season and how much it takes a toll on your body. When you are a freshman or still in high school, you can kick 30/40 balls every single day and your leg will never get tired. You won’t feel that impact over the season. My freshman year, I started to feel it just because it was a long season, we had 15 games.  I was talking to some of the older guys and they told me I had to save my leg and really start counting your reps. That’s the biggest thing I would say is focusing on your recovery.”

Huegel on spending Christmas with his teammates:

“I think it’s going to be really cool. The past couple of years we would be home for Christmas but would have to come back to Clemson the day of or after. But, it’s kind of cool because you get used to being around all of your brothers around the holidays and it comes to the point where you come to appreciate being around them on the holidays and it makes it more of a family. Being able to be down there in Dallas, we are going to have a Tuesday practice on Christmas, we got our Christmas dinner tonight but it’s really cool and we are looking forward to it.”

Huegel on going back to the CFP:

“I wouldn’t say it gets normal for us because Swinney is constantly emphasizing complacency. That’s one thing we do not want in our program is complacency. That’s why we have gotten to this point is because we have been able to focus on every single day of practice, focusing on the details, being able to focus on the standard and playing to our best and not just to an opponent. That’s why every single week we make it seem like every single week is a championship game and the biggest game of the week. When you get to this point, I don’t want to say it’s just another game just because of the stage and the level it’s on but the bigger the stage, the smaller you make it. Once you get to this point, you need to put even more emphasis on the details and focus on the fundamentals and what you are focusing on at practice.”