Improved Clemson O-line will be put to the test against elite Texas front

Blake Miller looks to lead an effective Clemson O-line unit versus an elite defensive front.

Ariana Pensy - Correspondent - Friday, December 20 2024

CLEMSON - It has been a rough season for the offensive line with numerous injuries, and they also took some flack for the blocked field goals. However, offensive line coach Matt Luke seems to have made an immediate change in the group overall in his first season with Clemson.

Junior lineman Blake Miller said the unit has improved under Coach Luke, and they are trying to create a standard within the group.

“Obviously, I think we’ve improved as an offensive line. But, I think there’s still a bunch of room for improvement for us. As Coach Luke says, making our layups, making sure that when we have a favorable look, we make the most of it, and then just continuing to cement a tradition (and) a standard in the offensive line room so the guys who come in know exactly how we do things and there’s no (question) as to how we do things,” Miller said. “Everything is understood. If anyone comes in, they just understand this is how things are done in terms of how we play and the (respect) we have for the game, the physicality we play with, what we believe in as a line.”

Miller has been an ascending member of the offensive line since his freshman year in 2022 when selected as a first-team freshman All American. In his second season, he was third-team All-ACC and as a junior, he was a first-team All-ACC selection. Becoming a first-team All-ACC selection was a source of pride for Miller as it made his family proud.

“I always try to make my family proud with what I do and to see my dad saying that he was proud of me and that I got that accolade was a good feeling. But, obviously tons to improve still,” Miller said. “There’s a bunch of stuff and I watch myself that I’d like to improve and going into this week, I’d like to address that and make sure (that) week-to-week, (I’m) a guy on the roster.”

Being an older player, Miller also serves as a mentor to some of the younger players on the roster including true freshman Mason Wade, who has now moved into a backup tackle role midseason. Wade has only gotten action in three games this season, but Miller said Wade’s confidence is increasing.

“I think he’s becoming more confident in himself … I just got to tell him sometimes he’s just got to believe in himself (because) as a freshman, it’s very easy to go in there and your head’s spinning,” Miller said. “You’re thinking about all this stuff, and you’re trying to be perfect and you get that paralysis by analysis, if you want to call if that, whereas when you go out there and you’re confident in yourself that you understand the scheme, you’re able to play with good technique. You know what to do and you know how to do it. I think when you go out there and you play free, that’s when you play your best football.”

Clemson will need to play free when it faces Texas in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday (4 p.m. / TNT). Texas has some of the best defensive linemen in the country, including sophomore linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., who leads the SEC in tackles for loss (16) and forced fumbles (four).

“They play really good football as a whole. They play together. They’re not mental busting anything. (They) move well on the edge. They play with good hands,” Miller said. “They have good moves and I think too come third down, they get into packages to try and rush the passer in the most efficient way possible and I think ID-ing things in those third-down scenarios, making sure we’re all on the same page, will set us up for success and then it just comes down to us going out there and playing with good technique to be able to give (junior quarterback) Cade (Klubnik) a good pocket to pass in (and) time to throw the ball.”