A&M offensive line faces huge test in "dynamic" Clemson front four

Texas A&M’s offensive line would face a daunting challenge if Clemson’s front four was merely the best in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The chore would be awesome if Clemson’s front four was only considered the best in the nation.

But the Aggies face perhaps a historic task on Saturday at Kyle Field because Clemson’s defensive line may be historically good. Sports Illustrated put the quartet of Austin Bryant, Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence and Clelin Ferrell on its cover and called them the best D-line EVER.

“They’re dynamic,” said A&M coach Jimbo Fisher, who faced Clemson last season as coach of Florida State. “They can beat you with power. They can beat you speed, experience, agility, knowledge. They’re a well-coached team and it’ll be a great challenge.”

Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham would likely agree. In the second game of last season Stidham was sacked 11 times in a 14-6 loss to Clemson. All four have been named to at least one All-American team. All are projected first round selections in next year’s NFL draft. All will be coming after Aggies quarterback Kellen Mond.

“People will say we should be scared,” Mond said on Monday. “Obviously, we’re never going to be scared. (It’s) something that this team will always be aware of. (We’re) never backing down from a challenge. I feel confident in this offensive line. I feel confident what we’ll be able to do in the run game and I feel like the receivers and tight ends will be able to make a lot of plays in the passing game.”

Confidence is vital, but Clemson doesn’t give up a lot of plays. Last season the Tigers ranked among the nation’s Top 10 in total defense, scoring defense, pass defense and No. 1 in sacks with 46. That’s obviously a cause for concern for the Aggies offensive line, which has three sophomore starters.

“Clemson’s D-line is really good,” senior guard Keaton Sutherland under-stated. "We’re excited for the opportunity. We’re going to have to play the best we can. We expect to have to do that every week. We’re excited to see what we can do against them. We’ll have to bring our A-game.”

A year ago A&M allowed 29 sacks. That’s about average nationally. However, 18 of those sacks came in the Aggies’ six losses. The message is clear. If the Aggies cannot protect Mond they likely cannot win. Sutherland said the line has gotten the message.

“We always put a hard emphasis on protecting the quarterback,” he said. “That’s our job. We’ve got to keep him on his feet and make sure he doesn’t take any hits. We take that personally.”

Mond took more hits than perhaps anticipated in the Aggies’ 59-7 season-opening victory over Northwestern State. He was sacked twice and hurried three times by an overmatched FCS opponent. That doesn’t bode well for playing Clemson, which posted three sacks in its season-opening 48-7 victory over Furman.

Sutherland dismissed those protection breakdowns to miscommunication of blitz pick-ups, which can be common in early-season games. However, A&M coach Jimbo Fisher acknowledged the offensive line must protect Mond better.

“Even if you don’t get sacks, you get hits,” Fisher said. “We had a couple of hits on the quarterback that we didn’t need to take. One is too many.”

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Trayveon Williams celebrates with OL Dan Moore Jr. after a rushing TD against Northwestern State.

A&M can try several methods to slow Clemson’s rush. Fisher can call screen passes, draws and maybe even a shovel pass. Mond would roll out and throw on the run. Or the Aggies, who at least for one week lead the nation in rushing offense, could run effectively.

“We have to have balance,” Fisher said. If you’re unbalanced against these guys … “There may be tough sledding at times. There may be times you bang it and you’re not getting tons of yards, but you’ve got to make them respect the run, you’ve got to run the football and you’ve got to keep balance because they’ve got to play it. If not, you become one-dimensional and the guys up front can tee-off and come after you. You have to create balance or it becomes very tough to move the football.”

Running on Clemson isn’t easy, either. Last season Clemson was ranked 12th in the nation in run defense. And that was with Lawrence, the 6-foot-4, 350-pound run-stuffing tackle, who was slowed by a lingering toe injury. That toe is now healed. Sutherland likely will take on Lawrence at his best and that’s the way Sutherland wants it.

"That’s why you play this game, right?” Sutherland said. “You want the best competition every week. I’m stoked to be able to have that opportunity to be able to play the best of the best.”