ATLANTA- Georgia Tech returned the field on Thursday after an off day on Wednesday to continue the ramp up for #4 Clemson on Monday night. After practice, quarterback Jeff Sims, center Weston Franklin and linebacker Ayinde Eley spoke to the media about where the team is at going into the game on Labor Day.
Sims had a very memorable opening game last year against Northern Illinois where he started slow and ended up getting injured early in the game knocking him out of the lineup for several weeks. He said he has put the struggles in the season opener or the success he had against FSU in 2020's opener out of his mind.
"Really I am just focused on executing the offense and going out there and doing what you got to do to win," Sims said. "I don't really think about last year like that just because it didn't go the way I wanted it to go. You have to put that in the past and look forward to the future."
Going into the season opener Sims said the team confidence level is the highest it has been during his three seasons on the Flats.
"We're definitely more confident than we've ever been," he said. "That's just because we bought into each other as a team. Everybody has full trust in each other. We're gonna go out there we're gonna play for each other."
SIms said his chemistry with Weston Franklin is growing daily and they grew close during the offseason and throughout camp and practice. They are building up their chemistry as he replaces Mikey Minihan at the center spot and he said that Weston has taken on some of the leadership role as well. He said that Weston is starting to speak up more and showing confidence and growing trust.
Sims said that Clemson is a team that is very strong and fast and just a great defense overall and they fly around and get to the ball quickly.
I asked Sims about adjusting to going under center some in the new offense and he said after first he wasn't sure that was for him because he likes the shotgun more, but he is getting more comfortable with the offense and now he likes it and it is fun to switch it up and he loves the different formations and personnel they are using and it is really beneficial for him.
Sims said that coach Weinke charts all his throws and asks him about what he is more comfortable with and he said the big goal for the Long and Weinke is to find plays he is comfortable with and they work that into the gameplan and they talk about that often. He likes that they are focusing on his strengths and weaknesses in the gameplan. He said he likes coach Long's plan for Clemson and it is a good gameplan and he is pretty sure he knows what the first play will be.
Sims said the early part of the game they really have to execute each play and try to sustain some drives and not worry about the last play, just focus on the next one up.
Weston Franklin said he sees a major difference in Jeff Sims from last year to this year, "he has a lot more confidence than he had last year and that is a big thing for him. He is working every day just as hard as we are and I feel like Coach Weinke helped him a lot and he is going to make big changes this year," Franklin said.
Franklin said they are still rolling the guards and Joe Fusile and Paul Tchio are playing right guard and Paula Vaipulu and Pierce Quick are playing mostly left guard and they've been rotating and there is no set depth yet, but he feels good about his chemistry with all four guys.
Franklin said of the Clemson D, they have great players and are really good and they've watched a lot of film and will watch more before the game, but he feels like GT has great players too and they are ready for the game. Franklin said with the new DC at Clemson they are not 100% sure what they are going to do but they think they have a good idea of the plan and they could throw something new at them and they'll just have to adjust to it.
Franklin said that adjusting to college ball in a game is way different than HS games, but the main thing is having confidence and communicating with your teammates and trusting the other guys on the field. They are going to help you with where you need to go or what you need to do and they've been working throughout camp on that and there is a night and day difference in how the OL group is working together.
Franklin said the tempo piece is very different from last year and they are more comfortable with it now. He said every day they get better at the tempo and making sure you don't stop and take a breath, you get up to the line and get ready when they are going fast. He said his job is to see the defense and make sure his guys are set pre-snap and know where they need to be and get the play call in and make his calls and be ready to roll when Sims wants the snap.
Franklin said all the transfers have come in and gelled with the team and he feels like they have a great locker room and everyone is ready to go to battle for each other and that has made a huge difference in the locker room this year.
Franklin said the defense has given them great looks throughout camp and they constantly rotate guys so that they go against fresh guys while the OL will be the same group so that tests them as well.
Ace Eley said he expects Clemson to open up establishing the run with their 3 RBs and trying to set the tone offensively and they have to stop that early.
Eley said they watched some of Brandon Streeter's OC work in the bowl game for Clemson against Iowa State, but they think they will have to get more of a feel once the game starts of what his style will be and how it might differ from what they did in the past with Tony Elliott since he is likely to put his own stamp on it.
Eley said on the defensive struggles a year ago it is not about proving people wrong, but they definitely have something to prove and it is about how they carry themselves so they can be who they think they are on the field a good defense.
Eley said that Chip Long's offense is a lot different from what Clemson runs, but there are some overlapping concepts that helped them get ready over the camp.
Eley echoed something I said and others have noted, that the D wasn't always on the same page a lot last year and in the games, they did well like UNC or Clemson last year they were. He said, "if you have 11 people on defense that's doing their job and everything you're gonna be pretty great defense." He said the goal is for that to happen 100% of the time.
Eley said he feels like the team has a lot of confidence going into Monday night and now they just have to execute what they have been working on all summer.
Eley said when they face adversity now they have to handle it better than in the past, he said that is an opportunity to stay together and keep moving forward to fight through the adversity instead of worrying about what is happening and if everyone does their job they will get through that adversity.
Eley is always one of the last players off the field 30-45 minutes sometimes after practice ends. He said there is a group of guys who stay late and work on this on their own like Jeff Sims, Dylan McDuffie who he works with a lot, Charlie Thomas, Nate McCollum and others. He said those that have time to stay or need to work on something will do that extra open period on their own to improve on stuff.
Eley said that if he does his job and Charlie Thomas does his job or any of the guys on the outside, he feels confident they will make the play on Monday.
Eley said they are trying to be more aggressive as a defense as a whole and as their mentality.
Eley said that LB coach Jason Semore has been a big help to him with working on his technique with different things and he is very knowledgable about the game in general and he has helped him improve his game.
OF NOTE:
Small media window today. They were in shells again and the team worked on FG quite a bit during our session. The kickers were hitting their kicks. Saw some one-on-ones WR/DB Malachi Carter caught a bomb from Sims to open it up. Kenny Bennett had a good PBU guarding Rutherford. Avery Boyd had two nice routes and grabs not sure who threw those.
Sims had a very memorable opening game last year against Northern Illinois where he started slow and ended up getting injured early in the game knocking him out of the lineup for several weeks. He said he has put the struggles in the season opener or the success he had against FSU in 2020's opener out of his mind.
"Really I am just focused on executing the offense and going out there and doing what you got to do to win," Sims said. "I don't really think about last year like that just because it didn't go the way I wanted it to go. You have to put that in the past and look forward to the future."
Going into the season opener Sims said the team confidence level is the highest it has been during his three seasons on the Flats.
"We're definitely more confident than we've ever been," he said. "That's just because we bought into each other as a team. Everybody has full trust in each other. We're gonna go out there we're gonna play for each other."
SIms said his chemistry with Weston Franklin is growing daily and they grew close during the offseason and throughout camp and practice. They are building up their chemistry as he replaces Mikey Minihan at the center spot and he said that Weston has taken on some of the leadership role as well. He said that Weston is starting to speak up more and showing confidence and growing trust.
Sims said that Clemson is a team that is very strong and fast and just a great defense overall and they fly around and get to the ball quickly.
I asked Sims about adjusting to going under center some in the new offense and he said after first he wasn't sure that was for him because he likes the shotgun more, but he is getting more comfortable with the offense and now he likes it and it is fun to switch it up and he loves the different formations and personnel they are using and it is really beneficial for him.
Sims said that coach Weinke charts all his throws and asks him about what he is more comfortable with and he said the big goal for the Long and Weinke is to find plays he is comfortable with and they work that into the gameplan and they talk about that often. He likes that they are focusing on his strengths and weaknesses in the gameplan. He said he likes coach Long's plan for Clemson and it is a good gameplan and he is pretty sure he knows what the first play will be.
Sims said the early part of the game they really have to execute each play and try to sustain some drives and not worry about the last play, just focus on the next one up.
Weston Franklin said he sees a major difference in Jeff Sims from last year to this year, "he has a lot more confidence than he had last year and that is a big thing for him. He is working every day just as hard as we are and I feel like Coach Weinke helped him a lot and he is going to make big changes this year," Franklin said.
Franklin said they are still rolling the guards and Joe Fusile and Paul Tchio are playing right guard and Paula Vaipulu and Pierce Quick are playing mostly left guard and they've been rotating and there is no set depth yet, but he feels good about his chemistry with all four guys.
Franklin said of the Clemson D, they have great players and are really good and they've watched a lot of film and will watch more before the game, but he feels like GT has great players too and they are ready for the game. Franklin said with the new DC at Clemson they are not 100% sure what they are going to do but they think they have a good idea of the plan and they could throw something new at them and they'll just have to adjust to it.
Franklin said that adjusting to college ball in a game is way different than HS games, but the main thing is having confidence and communicating with your teammates and trusting the other guys on the field. They are going to help you with where you need to go or what you need to do and they've been working throughout camp on that and there is a night and day difference in how the OL group is working together.
Franklin said the tempo piece is very different from last year and they are more comfortable with it now. He said every day they get better at the tempo and making sure you don't stop and take a breath, you get up to the line and get ready when they are going fast. He said his job is to see the defense and make sure his guys are set pre-snap and know where they need to be and get the play call in and make his calls and be ready to roll when Sims wants the snap.
Franklin said all the transfers have come in and gelled with the team and he feels like they have a great locker room and everyone is ready to go to battle for each other and that has made a huge difference in the locker room this year.
Franklin said the defense has given them great looks throughout camp and they constantly rotate guys so that they go against fresh guys while the OL will be the same group so that tests them as well.
Ace Eley said he expects Clemson to open up establishing the run with their 3 RBs and trying to set the tone offensively and they have to stop that early.
Eley said they watched some of Brandon Streeter's OC work in the bowl game for Clemson against Iowa State, but they think they will have to get more of a feel once the game starts of what his style will be and how it might differ from what they did in the past with Tony Elliott since he is likely to put his own stamp on it.
Eley said on the defensive struggles a year ago it is not about proving people wrong, but they definitely have something to prove and it is about how they carry themselves so they can be who they think they are on the field a good defense.
Eley said that Chip Long's offense is a lot different from what Clemson runs, but there are some overlapping concepts that helped them get ready over the camp.
Eley echoed something I said and others have noted, that the D wasn't always on the same page a lot last year and in the games, they did well like UNC or Clemson last year they were. He said, "if you have 11 people on defense that's doing their job and everything you're gonna be pretty great defense." He said the goal is for that to happen 100% of the time.
Eley said he feels like the team has a lot of confidence going into Monday night and now they just have to execute what they have been working on all summer.
Eley said when they face adversity now they have to handle it better than in the past, he said that is an opportunity to stay together and keep moving forward to fight through the adversity instead of worrying about what is happening and if everyone does their job they will get through that adversity.
Eley is always one of the last players off the field 30-45 minutes sometimes after practice ends. He said there is a group of guys who stay late and work on this on their own like Jeff Sims, Dylan McDuffie who he works with a lot, Charlie Thomas, Nate McCollum and others. He said those that have time to stay or need to work on something will do that extra open period on their own to improve on stuff.
Eley said that if he does his job and Charlie Thomas does his job or any of the guys on the outside, he feels confident they will make the play on Monday.
Eley said they are trying to be more aggressive as a defense as a whole and as their mentality.
Eley said that LB coach Jason Semore has been a big help to him with working on his technique with different things and he is very knowledgable about the game in general and he has helped him improve his game.
OF NOTE:
Small media window today. They were in shells again and the team worked on FG quite a bit during our session. The kickers were hitting their kicks. Saw some one-on-ones WR/DB Malachi Carter caught a bomb from Sims to open it up. Kenny Bennett had a good PBU guarding Rutherford. Avery Boyd had two nice routes and grabs not sure who threw those.
