Allen ready for possible last home game

Allen has caught 38 passes for 470 yards and five touchdowns this season.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Thu Nov 10 10:43:11 GMT-04:00 2011

CLEMSON – Clemson tight end Dwayne Allen Dwayne Allen

RS Jr. Tight End

#83 6-3, 255

Fayetteville, NC

View Full Profile has been the model teammate and team leader this season, his maturity and vocal leadership helping pave the way to the Tigers’ top 10 ranking and possible ACC Atlantic Division title.

The 2011 version of Allen is a far cry from earlier versions, when he admittedly cared more about Dwayne Allen than he did his coaches or teammates and didn’t mind vocalizing his displeasure over perceived slights.

Offensive coordinator Chad Morris has touted the Fayetteville, N.C., redshirt junior as one of the glues of the offense, and a player that he can count on to help navigate a young quarterback and young receivers through the rocky shoals that sometimes pop up during games and a season.

At the end of this season, however, Allen must once again think about himself and turn his thoughts to his future in the National Football League. Many draft experts have said that Allen, should he choose to declare for the draft, would be the first tight end taken.

Kyle Rudolph was the first tight end taken in the 2011 NFL draft, going to the Minnesota Vikings in the second round.

Allen said this week that he hasn’t given much thought to what the future might hold, but he does understand that Saturday might be his last game in Death Valley.

“I have been really playing this season like I have another season,” Allen said Tuesday. “My biggest goal this year is to win a championship. But, this could be my last game in Death Valley, and I want it to be my best. I don’t think I will have time to take everything in, because Wake Forest will come in here playing for everything this weekend. I will have to keep my focus on the other guys, and keep them locked in.”

Allen has been slowed this season by a turf toe injury, but he said he should be at almost full strength by this weekend.

“The toe is doing well. Not playing last week helped a lot, and I should be 100 percent by this weekend. I will be limited the first couple of days, but I want to get back in the groove and get my timing back with the rest of the guys, so I will be doing most of the drills with the line and the quarterback.”

He said that one of his roles as team leader was to make sure that his teammates took the right things from the loss to Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

“Very motivating. We were humbled in that loss,” he said. “Coach Morris always tells us that good is the enemy of great. We were 8-0 and had ripped off eight wins and thought we had arrived. But maybe that one loss was what we needed so we can finish the season strong.”

Allen has caught 38 passes for 470 yards and five touchdowns this season, and he said that the Demon Deacons will be a challenge for Clemson’s passing attack.

“Wake Forest is a good team that has caused a lot of problems for a lot of good teams,” Allen said. “It’s senior day, and we are at home and it will be a calm place for us to clinch the division. Just going out there and getting it done is what we have to do. Wake Forest has a talented secondary – one of the best in the ACC. They are very active. Their defensive front is small but very active, and they do a lot of angling, especially Number 50 [Nikita Whitlock].”

As a team leader, he said he has been focusing on getting the younger players to understand the importance of Saturday’s game.

“Going into the Georgia Tech game, we did not take the same sense of urgency that Georgia Tech did,” he said. “They were playing for everything and we were playing just another game. We have to learn that when you are 8-0, you have to play every game like it is a championship game. We lost that sense of urgency and that is why we got beat. Going into this weekend, we know how important this game is so we can go out there and clinch the title.”