Jeremiah Trotter Jr. sees Saturday’s game against Wake Forest as a “good challenge” for Clemson’s defense.
The Tigers are coming off a game in which they forced three turnovers and recorded five sacks, so confidence is up with a Demon Deacons offense that tests teams with the slow mesh play.
“A lot of RPOs is what I feel like we’re going to be going up against,” Trotter, a junior linebacker, said. “We’ve just got to come ready to play and have the right mindset.”
Trotter said the key to defending Wake’s unique mesh-handoff-or-keep plays is to trust your teammates, pick the run or the pass to defend and stick with it.
“I feel like we’re going to have a great plan coming into the game,” Trotter said.
Here’s what else the linebacker who picked off a key pass against Syracuse had to say during his meeting with the media this week:
- On the interception: Xavier Thomas got pressure on Garrett Shrader that sped up the throw and allowed Trotter to make the play on the ball. “It was a lot of complementary football. It showed what Clemson football is about right there.”
- On the hit Justin Mascoll laid on Shrader that caused an early fumble: “I had a front row seat. He killed him. That was good play. Great way to start the game. I feel like that was a great tone-setter.”
- On Wake without former star and current Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman: “I feel like they keep a lot of the same scheme when he was there. It was a good scheme and fairly effective.
- On new Deacs QB Mitch Griffis: “A very poised quarterback. He’s going to be a good game manager and give us a good challenge as a defense.”
- On Clemson freshman DE T.J. Parker’s emergence: “He’s been very productive for us. It shows his work ethic. The way he prepares is a big factor in those tackles for a loss.”
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