CLEMSON FOOTBALL

K'Von Wallace looking forward to Texas A&M: I play better when the lights are on
K'Von Wallace (12) is looking forward to College Station

K'Von Wallace looking forward to Texas A&M: I play better when the lights are on


by - Senior Writer -

CLEMSON – K’von Wallace doesn’t mind playing on the road. In fact, he revels in it and hopes the rest of the Clemson defense follows suit Saturday night in College Station.

No. 2 Clemson travels to Texas to take on Texas A&M in a primetime matchup this weekend. Home field for the Aggies is Kyle Field, known for years as the “Home of the 12th Man.” With a seating capacity of 102,733 fans, Kyle Field is the fourth-largest stadium in the NCAA and the largest in the SEC.

Wallace can’t wait to see what unfolds Saturday.

"I feel like it makes me play better when the crowd is on and the lights are on. I feel like it brings the best out of me,” Wallace told the media Monday. "All of us love going on the road and shutting a team down. Like I said, just making the crowd quiet. It just gives us a little edge and it means a little bit more that we can go on the road and still come out with a victory and be the best team on that field."

Clemson won on the road at Virginia Tech and Louisville last season, both of them the site of ESPN’s College GameDay, but Wallace says the best environment belonged to NC State.

"I'd say the NC State game. Not because of the big plays I made - it was just the crowd they had and the fight that team had all the way towards the end,” he said. “Basically, how all the fans stayed towards the end of the game because they didn't know who was gonna win. Just that environment - making the crowd be quiet and stuff like that - it was fun."

Texas A&M is coached by former Florida St. head coach Jimbo Fisher, so there is familiarity with what the defense sees on film.

“They do a lot of things that Florida State used to do,” Wallace said. “We're just watching film - we don't know too much right now. We're just, again, gonna watch film and do what we can with what we've got."

Will that familiarity help the Clemson defense Saturday?

"I feel like it could. We don't know what Coach V (defensive coordinator Brent Venables) has in store - we're just getting started so I haven't met with him yet,” Wallace said. “So, all of it will be taken today during warmups and practice he'll be giving us all the tips."

With the crowd at full roar and a national television looking on, Wallace knows the key to success for the Tigers.

"Just stay calm as much as possible. When we're on defense it's quiet anyways,” Wallace said. “Just go out there and communicate and make sure that everyone is lined up right. Get our keys, read our keys. And, just taking what they give us. Don't get discouraged if they make a big play because they will make a big play. Just continue to play hard and know that whatever field we go on is our field."

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