Preview: Clemson Adds Wrinkles in Hopes of Confusing McCown |
BOISE, Idaho - It sounds like such a simple concept: Stop Luke McCown and you
stop Louisiana Tech. Were McCown a running back, or perhaps a pass-rushing defensive end, then Clemson's chances of pulling off the trick might be more realistic. But McCown is a quarterback, and a good one. He's a young gunslinger with plenty of weapons from which to choose. He throws it an average of 42 times per game for an average of 313 yards. And against a Clemson secondary allowing 226 yards per game and 28 TD passes on the year, the probability of footballs flying in every direction is great. But defensive coordinator Reggie Herring isn't resigned to the fact that his team will be riddled with McCown bullets, much as history suggests that will be the case. When Clemson and La. Tech square off in today's Humanitarian Bowl (12:30 p.m., ESPN) Herring will have a few surprises waiting for McCown and Co. "We've faced some very good offenses this year, teams like Florida State and Georgia Tech," Herring said. "This offense is every bit as good as those. So we're going to have to mix it up. It's a tremendous challenge for us because we haven't played well in the secondary." How? For starters, Clemson will open the game in a new look designed to offer help in the secondary and get its best athletes on the field to make plays. Instead of the usual four defensive linemen, Herring will start three - a nose tackle and two defensive ends (Khaleed Vaughn and Bryant McNeal). Rodney Thomas, who has been playing outside linebacker most of the season, will move inside with Chad Carson. Sophomore John Leake and true freshman Eric Sampson will start on the outside. Nick Eason and Eric Coleman will be the backups at defensive end. DeJuan Polk, Jovan Bush and Donnell Washington will rotate at nose tackle. Leake and Sampson will be the keys. They will be asked to do it all: provide run support, pressure McCown with the blitz from the outside and, most importantly, provide coverage help against Tech's four and five wide receiver sets. The look will be that of a 3-4 defense, though in reality Leake and Sampson likely will be spending more time in coverage than anything else. "We've got to get better athletes on the field," Herring said. "Really what we're in is a dime package: three defensive linemen, two linebackers and six defensive backs. We're getting better athletes out in space, trying zone coverage and man (coverage), to mix up some things and give up multiple looks." Herring expects to use every coverage trick in the book in an attempt to confuse McCown. Expect to see a zone-blitz scheme, with pressure coming from every possible angle. Expect to see the field split in half: man-to-man coverage on one side, zone on the other. Expect to see two-deep, and sometimes even three-deep, coverage. Expect to see zone underneath and man coverage in the back. Expect to see a three-man rush and eight in coverage. All from the same set, all designed to throw off McCown's timing. "We've got a diverse package. We'll try not to be in the same thing over and over," Herring said. "We'll try to mix it up. It's all based off the same look, so hopefully we've got an advantage. We played it against South Carolina and it really confused them quite a bit. "It's always been there. We've just never played a team that's pure passing all the time." And what about the run? "If they have any running game at all, how well we adjust back to it will be interesting," Herring said. "We hope they don't pop a big run on us, especially early. But you have to defend the pass against them because that's what they do. "They've been throwing the ball for decades and they've always been damn good at it."
Upgrade Your Account
Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now
