Steele put on a show in big win

By Paul Strelow - The (Columbia) State

CLEMSON -- Two equipment managers flanked Kevin Steele, holding the sides of an outstretched towel over the Clemson defensive coordinator's head as he kneeled and barked instructions to players sitting on the sideline bench.

If you hadn't noticed the light drizzle on Saturday night at Death Valley, the image might have evoked the classic ancient scene of an Egyptian pharaoh being fanned and fed — only Steele was dispensing his own grapes of wrath.

Most of the major talking points from the Tigers' 37-14 pasting of Middle Tennessee centered on the offense, and justifiably so, given its importance and the team's shortcomings there the past few seasons.

Quarterback Kyle Parker flashed his advertised potential in his quarterback debut; star running back C.J. Spiller's propensity for getting nicked up re-emerged as an issue worth monitoring; the erratic but sufficiently talented receiving corps is what we thought it was; and last, but certainly not least, the offensive line provided fodder for both its skeptics and optimists to consider until its first real test — Thursday night's showdown at No. 15 Georgia Tech.

It was easy and logical to push Clemson's defensive showing down in the pecking order of relevance — if for no other reason than, well, the Tigers have been awfully good in that department for a while, and MTSU's spread offense is hardly as daunting as the Yellow Jackets' flexbone option attack next on the docket.

But arguably the most striking and entertaining facets of the three-turnover, three-sack performance were Steele's means to an end, more so than the net outcome itself.

Having spent the previous two years as Alabama's top defensive assistant — which, regardless of title, equated to being defensive-minded coach Nick Saban's highest-ranking yes man — Steele coached as if he had been freed from the shackles, and it will be interesting to follow to what degree that continues.

Who would have figured that the 51-year-old veteran, seasoned for so many years in the 3-4 defense (where bulk and size are premiums), would debut by combating MTSU's spread with a dime scheme featuring six defensive backs and just one traditional linebacker the entire contest?

Second-string safeties Sadat Chambers and Rashard Hall saw the brunt of the action as the backstops, while listed starters Marcus Gilchrist and DeAndre McDaniel served as the nickel cornerback and a roving hybrid linebacker, respectively. Rush ends Ricky Sapp and Andre Branch stood up as inside linebackers, too, sometimes even blitzing up the middle with a running start. And it was common to see the defensive line comprised of three designated ends and one interior tackle.

“I told y'all Coach Steele has a lot of plays and can adjust to anything on the go,” McDaniel said. “That's what he did. We just played what he threw at us.”

Steele said it was the first time he has used a dime defense as his base package since he was linebackers coach with the Carolina Panthers in 1996, when then-coach Dom Capers tried it to slow Atlanta's run-and-shoot offense under June Jones.

Furthermore, to do so, Steele essentially benched last year's leading tackler, senior weak-side linebacker Kavell Conner, as well as starting strongside linebacker Scotty Cooper.

“If they'd have gone out and tried to cover a couple of them little wideouts a couple of times, they'd have probably come over and told me, coach, I need some help,” Steele said. “It is what it is. You have to match up.”

The decision took gumption in one's first game with oversight. Or it took someone who apparently earned credibility in the locker room immediately.

Or both.

There is no debating Clemson has the horses to make Steele look smart and creative. Truth be told, his predecessor, Vic Koenning, was masterful at crafting game plans that took away an opponent's biggest weapon.

But Koenning's low-risk philosophy appeared to lead to guys playing on their heels, hence the third-and-long conversions and pivotal fourth-quarter scoring drives by opponents that stained his tenure.

Such letting-off-the-pedal moments probably explained why Steele demonstrably swept the bystanders off the sideline bench after Clemson yielded a seven-play, 85-yard touchdown drive to open the second half, clearing room for an impromptu rear-chewing.

“That's because it's an identity,” Steele said. “If you allow something like that to continue, you'll create a habit. If you get used to being allowed to play up and down, you'll create a habit. You have to play each snap like you're playing for a championship. And that's from beginning to end.

“We have a standard of excellence, and it's up here. We did some things to that standard; we did some things not to that standard. We'll correct those things not to that standard.”

The other compelling aspect to Steele's debut was that by sticking with the dime scheme throughout, Clemson didn't tip its hand to give Georgia Tech in regard to what its base defense will be.

Which isn't even to suggest Clemson will give the Yellow Jackets a base look anyhow. It's no secret that 255-pound defensive end Kevin Alexander has been training at strong-side linebacker for just such an instance when the Tigers figure to load the box with brawn to take on coach Paul Johnson's revered running game.

“We'll have to be simple enough, yet multiple enough to cause some problems,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.