Virginia Tech head coach says Tigers "have great personnel"

Fuente says Clemson will present a great challenge. (Photo courtesy ACC)

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tue Dec 01 16:16:39 GMT-04:00 2020

Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente was asked if it helped keep his team’s attention by having a talented team like Clemson come to town, and Fuente laughed at the question. Fuente answered that all he has to do is turn on the Clemson film and his players will have all the focus they need.

No. 3 Clemson (8-1 overall, 7-1 ACC) travels to Blacksburg for a Saturday matchup against Virginia Tech (4-5, 4-4). The game is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 pm (ABC) and the Tigers are currently a 22-point favorite.

The Hokies are currently on a three-game losing streak, including heartbreaking losses by three points to Liberty and by a point to Miami.

“We have a tremendous challenge this week with Clemson coming to town,” Fuente said during his weekly press conference. “We will have to do a great job through preparation and focus and practice to give ourselves a chance against an incredibly talented football team.”

The Tigers are led by quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who returned to action last week in the win over Pitt and threw for over 400 yards. Fuente was asked about Lawrence’s talent, and he said that Clemson’s quarterback has a high ceiling.

“Every now and again, you see a guy or you come up against a guy or you get a chance to coach a guy that you say, 'There is nothing that he can't do,’” Fuente said. “When you look at Trevor and what he's been able to accomplish, the efficiency of his play, his ability to run the ball basically when they need him to, and deliver the ball down the field and run the offense and by all indications he seems to be a great leader as well, and he will probably be the No. 1 pick in the draft and deservedly so. I can't imagine a more talented guy or a guy with a higher ceiling and potential than he has going forward.”

He was then asked about Clemson’s defense and defensive coordinator Brent Venables, and he said the Tigers have talent, experience, and present the offense with multiple looks.

“It starts with their personnel. That is not to take anything away from Coach Venables, he has gone a great job for a long time. They have great personnel,” Fuente said. “They have a few guys that have played a lot of snaps and are older and seem to understand the scheme, which allows them to do a bunch. There are different ways to play defense and they are all probably good, but they do a good job of executing a large volume of calls. Some of that is because they are a little bit older in the back end and at linebacker, but there are still some young and talented people upfront.

“They continue to mix up the looks. And if they struggle with something - meaning if they have a guy in the wrong gap or a guy has the wrong slant because they are doing too much - it seems like their talent can overcome that little mistake and it doesn't turn into a big mistake for them. They get the ball on the ground and then they go play the next play. Him and his staff must do a great job teaching because they do a lot. They are playing a little more 3-down than I remember them playing before and they do a great job of mixing it up.”