Gotta get out the door and head up to Boston this morning, but first I want to share some stuff from a conversation with Andre Ellington earlier this week.
He's a nice kid. Not overly outgoing, but genuine and thoughtful. His nickname is "Little Bit," and after all the impressive things he's done so far maybe it should be changed to "Lotta Bit."
Given the way the tailback rotation has unfolded over the past few games, I wanted to get his thoughts on that. And there was some other stuff, too.
So here goes:
There were a couple of drives against Georgia Tech in which you didn't get on the field. What's your take on the rotation between you and Jamie Harper, and how it's determined who goes onto the field?
"I really don’t know. The coaches make the decision on what play they want to call at the time. My job is to just go out there and execute and help the team out the best way I can."
You've said before that you don't get winded, but do you think that might play a role in how the coaches are determining who goes out there? You are getting more work on kickoff returns lately.
"(Long pause) I really don’t know. I really don’t know. The coaches make the decision on what play they want to call, whether they want to feed it to me six plays straight or separate it. I’ll let them make that decision."
Who do you think you resemble most as a running back?
"I’ve kind of got from some of the players that I look like Chris Johnson running the ball. But I don’t really listen to a lot of that stuff. I don’t try to be compared to any other player or anything like that."
I remember, during your redshirt year, Rob Spence saying you reminded him of Ray Rice.
"Yeah, he told me that too. That's another great guy to be compared to. He’s a hard runner, north-south. Not very big. If I’m not mistaken, back in college maybe he wasn’t as big as he is now."
You're a third-year guy, so you're eligible for the NFL Draft after this season. And from what we hear, the NFL folks who come here to watch film are really high on you. Have you given any thought to that?
"At this point in time, I really don’t know. I’m just going to play this college thing out and see where it takes me from here."
When you signed with Clemson, were there some doubts about coming to a place that had such a crowded backfield? There was James Davis and C.J. Spiller, and Jamie Harper signed with you in 2008.
"Oh, no. I kind of made my decision before Jamie. I was uncertain if he was going to come or not. I didn’t really know him at the time, until we got to the all-star game. But it was kind of our idea to have a new tandem come in here. That’s how we thought of it coming in here."
It took Spiller a while to get comfortable with zone running. What makes it difficult?
"It’s all about getting your shoulders squared. You get your shoulders square to the line of scrimmage, an you can see more peripherally than just seeing one side of the field."
You're really good at pressing your blocks and then cutting back at the perfect time. Is that one of the most important parts of being a good zone runner?
"That’s very important. It’s kind of like a mind game, just playing tag with the linebackers. You get those guys pressed up with the line, it’s hard for them to get off blocks."
You're pretty soft-spoken off the field, or at least around us media types, but you smile a lot on the field during games. Just having fun?
"Yeah, just having fun. That’s how I look at it. Just being out there with the guys, trying to enjoy the moment while I can."
On the long drive in the fourth quarter, you came out after the first six plays and went back in after three runs by Jamie. Were you just gassed?
"I was a little, but not too much. They sent Jamie in, so I came out. If I’m not mistaken, I went right back out, though."
Quick thought on last night's game in Raleigh:
Christian Ponder ... wow. He can look so good, but the mistakes he makes are just self-impaling.
He was not good against Boston College, accounting for the four turnovers (three interceptions, one fumble) that allowed the Eagles to stay in the game.
Last night, he screwed up on the Seminoles' second-to-last drive by bouncing outside and not going for the first down.
And then ... just no excuse at all for not properly carrying out that play-action fake. None.
N.C. State won because its quarterback properly executed hard play-action, and Florida State's didn't.
Hey, how's the traffic on that CP7 web site?
LW
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