Veteran right guard Gage Cervenka is no stranger to the national championship stage. The offensive lineman has been part of Clemson’s last three playoff appearances and is looking to add a third national championship ring to his collection.
Clemson will play LSU in the College Football Playoff National Championship Monday at the Superdome in New Orleans.
From experience, Cervenka knows what it takes to shine when it matters most, saying this team has a love for each other that will give this team an edge heading into Monday nights matchup.
Cervenka on where LSU’s pressure on defense comes from
“They switch it up, but you just have to be able to tell. I mean you can’t really always tell, but they’re very balanced I would say, so it’s either going to be inside, outside. So it’s not always going to be in one area.”
Cervenka on LSU’s defense
“They are very balanced. [K’lavon Chaisson], he’s a quick pass rusher, he’s fast, he’s strong, so they’ll probably like to bring him and their linebacker. [Patrick Queen] is one of the fastest I’ve ever seen, and he can move, so to be able to account for him and be able to work up to and to be able to know where he is working up to and understand where our ball is and have leverage. We need to go meet him at a certain point because if you run right at him, he’s just going to run right around you and make you look stupid, so just understanding that and communication with our tight ends and everybody.”
Cervenka on if Clemson has an advantage with post-season experience over LSU
“It can. If you don’t know how to prepare for it. I just feel like for us, for me at least, that it’s just another game, it’s the next game, and this is the final game for me. I feel like it can definitely get you if you don’t know how to prepare for it. I feel like that’s kind of what got to us last time when we were in New Orleans. We had that Bourbon Street and all this hype, so we didn’t prepare our best and slacked up and tried to enjoy it too much. Luckily, now this is a national championship game and we don’t have that much free time and its more business trip like, which is really good. So, being able to keep guys focused and not going out there to just enjoy being in a national championship and understanding that we have work to do. If you don’t get really focused in and buy in to what you are trying to do, then it can definitely sneak up on you and hurt you.”
Cervenka on atmosphere expectations with game being played in LSU’s home state
“It’s going to be very hostile and a home game for them. I’m excited though because this is something, we’ve always dreamed of doing is going and winning the trophy in a hostile environment. You love to have your fans there and I’m sure we’ll have fans there, but it’s definitely going to be a lot of LSU there, so I’m excited about it. It’s going to test us and stress us in our communication pre-snap and post-snap just because it’s going to be loud, so making sure everybody is on the same page. I’m excited because there’s no better way to than beating LSU in Louisiana.”
Cervenka on Trevor Lawrence’s message in the huddle against Ohio State and the team’s bond
“I think that’s what makes us special. Before that last drive, we all just stopped and looked at each other and say, ‘I love y’all’. No matter what happens we are brothers and that’s just what kind of speaks to this team because we’ve been through a lot together and we get closer as things happen, whatever the outcome of things may be. At the end of that moment, I just knew we were gonna win and that we were gonna drive down this field and score. I had no doubt in my mind that we could do it. But just having that love and that connection gives you that little extra that you need to give and pushes us to be better than what we can be.”
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