Luke Helping Tigers Have Fun, Again

CLEMSON — One aspect of the Clemson offense that has undergone major improvements in all areas is on the offensive line.

The men up front has been a sensitive topic for the last two years, creating a sense of weakness for the Tigers against hard-nosed defenses and allowing more turmoil for the quarterback. Now, things are a little different.

This past year, the 10th-ranked Tigers hired a new coach to lead the linemen. Matt Luke was charged with that task.

So far, his leadership and coaching have helped the unit perform exceptionally, paving the way for a powerful ground game and protecting starting quarterback Cade Klubnik.

“He does a great job of getting us fired up but not getting us too riled up,” said right tackle Blake Miller. “I really love what Coach Luke does pregame, he gets me fired up, gets me ready to play.”

In addition to firing up the men to play, his coaching and instruction has helped them focus on technique and minimize the amount of penalties they’ve earned.

“I think Coach Luke is a big part of it, just emphasizing execution,” Miller said. “Trying to get the most accurate game-like reps and practice and just stressing having a game-rep mindset.

“He’s done a great job of creating that game-like atmosphere in practice every day so that it doesn’t happen, come game time, those mistakes.”

And those mistakes have been minimal and controlled, with Miller himself having zero penalties as a starting lineman this season. With Luke’s coaching, Miller and the men up front have cut out so many areas of failure and are able to play more freely.

“He does a good job of encouraging us more than ridiculing us when we do make mistakes, because it’s inevitable throughout the game,” Miller said. “I think the way you come back from those mistakes, and the way that he gets us to come back from those mistakes, is really good.”

A free, strong and minimally-penalized offensive line for the Tigers is something to hold onto and use as much as possible, and Clemson hopes to do so again on Saturday (noon, ACCN) when they host Virginia at Memorial Stadium.