Clemson defensive coordinator doesn't care which Auburn QB starts
Considering Clemson won the ACC title last season and nearly won the national championship against Alabama, the Tigers have reason to be confident heading into the season. While quarterback Deshaun Watson has garnered the majority of the offseason headlines, Clemson’s defense played a large part of the team’s success in 2015.
Led by defensive coordinator Brent Venables, Clemson finished the season with the ACC’s No. 3 scoring defense and a top 25 nationally-ranked scoring defense. As Clemson prepares to hit the road for its Week 1 game at Auburn, unlike many fans on the Plains, Venables is not sitting around concerning himself with finding out which quarterback he will be game planning against to start the season.
“I could (not) care less. Doesn’t matter one bit to us,” Venables recently said, according to Aaron Brenner of The Post and Courier. “It’s not coachspeak. We’re going to do what we do and adjust as it goes. That’s up to them, whether or not they have confidence in their guy.”
If Auburn doesn’t have confidence in the chosen quarterback, the Sept. 3 game could get ugly as the Tigers may be forced to match Watson and the high-powered Clemson offense score for score to begin the season. Clemson is currently a touchdown favorite to win against Auburn.