Allen looking for more impact against Canes

Allen had 5 catches for 66 yards against Auburn but was shut out in the second half.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tue Sep 28 22:08:39 GMT-04:00 2010

Listen to Tuesday's interview with Tight End Dwayne Allen (WMA Format)

CLEMSON – Big Game Dwayne is ready for the big stage.

Clemson tight end Dwayne Allen set career highs for catches and yards against Auburn in the Tigers’ last game, and he admitted on Tuesday that he gets up for the big games and loves to excel when the lights are on.

The Miami Hurricanes are next up for Allen’s Tigers, at noon in Death Valley this Saturday, and Allen said he is ready for the showdown at high noon.

“Coach Napier [offensive coordinator Billy Napier] talked to me before the Auburn game, and he said ‘D.A., this is your type of game, isn’t it.’ It always seems like in the big games, I come to play. I expect a lot this Saturday. We did our job and went down to Auburn and shut their crowd up early, and I expect Clemson will be rocking when Miami comes to town.”

He had five catches for 66 yards in the first half against Auburn and was quarterback Kyle Parker’s favorite target early in the game, but was shut out in the second half, and he said he now realizes he has to make more of an impact every time he touches the ball.

“It was like practice, really,” Allen said of the first half. “Those were situations and plays that we had practiced so much, and I just went out there and executed like it was practice. I had five touches, but had only 66 yards. I have to do more on my part. In this case, I have to run after the catch to impact the game. Five catches for 66 yards is not the type of impact I want to have on the game.”

He was asked what he needed to do to impact the game more, and he said it came down to being more explosive when he does touch the ball.

“I have to break more tackles,” he said. “I have to make more explosive plays. Whatever the coaches scheme up and do to get me the ball. I had five touches last week, and there is no reason I can’t have 200 yards on those five touches. That is the kind of impact I want to have on the game.”

Allen said he is proud of being a big-game player, but also understands that he needs to play that way in every game if he wants to take his game to the next level.

“I am prepared, week in and week out,” he said. “I prepare the same way for every opponent, and I push myself to the limit and condition myself for games. I played 90 snaps last week. I want the ball to come my way, and I think the coaches want to put me in a position to have an impact on the game so we can win.

“But there are going to be some games that don’t have that [big game] feel. I need to work on that. The first two games, I didn’t block well at all, maybe because I didn’t respect the opponent enough in a way. But from here on out, we will be facing ACC opposition, and I am going to try and bring my A game every week.”

Season Stats G-S Rec Yards Y/Rec Rec/G Y/G TD 20+ LG

83 Dwayne Allen, TE 3-3 8 156 19.5 2.7 52.0 1 2 47