With Syracuse‚Äôs much-anticipated matchup with Clemson upon us, it‚Äôs time for this week’s edition of SU Opponent Insider. This season we‚Äôre talking with those familiar with SU‚Äôs opponents to give you the inside scoop from the other side.
This week, we chatted with Don Munson, the play-by-play voice of the Clemson Tigers. We talk about Clemson’s start to the season, the Orange’s chances against the Tigers and much more.
The Fizz: Before we get into this game, what was the reaction like in Clemson when they saw that Maryland obliterated Syracuse?
Don Munson: A little shocked, to be perfectly honest with you. Unfortunately, every team has been there. Just go us Clemson fans that watched Virginia whip us 70-33 in an Orange Bowl a few years back. We’ve all been there, it’s all happened to us… We expect to see a totally different Syracuse club than the one we saw last week against Maryland.
The Fizz: Looking at this matchup, why do you think Syracuse plays Clemson tight?
DM: Because they believe they can win! That’s something that coach Babers installs in his guys… I think that’s what we’re finding out in college football all around. Anybody, I mean anybody can beat anybody on any given day. We’ve already seen that play out so far in 2019… You’ve gotta be ready to get after it.
The Fizz: In terms of Trevor Lawrence (sophomore, all-world QB), the national perspective is that he’s struggled so far this year, especially against Georgia Tech. How would you evaluate him so far this season?
DM: He’s right on schedule. He’s playing the way that he needs to be. You don’t need to be playing your best football right now… you want to be at your peak later in the season and I think Trevor Lawrence has taken all the proper steps to get there.
The Fizz: The depth of this team is what sticks out to me, especially when you look on the offensive line. Do they rotate guys throughout the game?
DM: Oh yeah, they’ll play nine, 10, 11 guys throughout the game. That’s something that coach Sweeney believes in doing. Usually what happens is the first team will play the first one or two drives. After that, they’ll bring in an entirely different group for the third series. I would look for that as well, even though you can only travel with 72 guys… We’re going to play a lot of bodies.
