Clemson center Sean Pollard talked with the media Tuesday at Clemson’s Poe Indoor Facility in Clemson and was pleased with the work the offensive line has put in over the course of Clemson’s bye week.
Although they had their critics following their tight win over the Tar Heels on Sept. 28, the senior is confident that the Tigers offensive line can perform against a talented Florida State defense this Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Pollard on off-week and what o-line worked on specifically
“It was a great off week. Coach (Dabo) Swinney and all of the coaches have a great plan every off-week, every year, making sure we are still getting good work in, but allows us to rest and recover. With the O-line, we just went back to the basics with footwork, hand placement technique, that’s just a big thing that starts with the little things and if you master the little things, the bigger things will come easy.”
Pollard on the history between Clemson and Florida State
“As of the last ten years, fun. Coach Swinney pointed out that the winner of this game usually determines who wins the division and ends up making the ACC championship game, so it’s been fun the years I’ve been a part of it. My freshman year we won by three points, down there my sophomore year it was a tight game, junior year was a little bit different, but you look at Florida State this year and the last couple of games, they look like the old Florida State. They are running the ball and they’re defensive line and defense are playing great, so I think it’s going to be a fun game this weekend.”
Pollard on what he feels o-line can improve on coming out of UNC
“Just the little things like technique and all that. If we fix a couple of plays and fix a couple of technique errors, I think we’ll play better as a unit. I mean, we had some guys that played great, but others just did not and I’m one of them. I did not play to the best of my ability, but I just looked back at the tape and came back last week and then this week, just emphasizing on technique and proper hand-placement I think is really going to help me out a lot.”
Pollard on biggest lesson for young guys getting through a tight game
“Just respect the process. In the ACC, you can’t overlook anybody or take anything for granted. Any team in this league is good enough to beat you any time of the week and if you don’t show up to play, you’re going to have tight ones or even end up losing a game. I just told the young guys to respect the process, respect every week, the grind it takes to get ready for Saturday, and how to properly prepare for an opponent, so it’ll help grow our team a lot.”
Pollard on scrutiny following last game
“We are just focusing on Clemson. We didn’t play our best game, but everybody has their opinions and the media is going to say what they want. It takes a lot of focus on us to get back to the grind and what we’ve been known for, and that’s just being successful week after week. Getting us out of the mainstream of hearing about being number one and being able to sit back and just focus on ourselves and worry about being the best team we can be while taking the next steps forward every day.”
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