Tyrique Stevenson blog: Jacurri Brown gave team the heartbeat it needed, and we can make statement vs. Clemson

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CB Tyrique Stevenson will have a weekly blog all season at CaneSport.com. In this edition, Stevenson looks ahead to the challenge of facing Clemson, talks about his own future plans, Jacurri Brown’s impact and more:

IT FELT GREAT TO GET A WIN ON SATURDAY

Winning last weekend feels great, you know. To come out on top after taking a tough loss like that. To just to go out there and have fun, be able to play in the cold weather and stuff like that was a great feeling and I’m happy and proud of this team.

Everybody, even the coaches, were all comfortable how the week went, happy how everybody practiced, locked in for the week even after the tough loss. We knew we were well prepared, knew we had to go out there and work hard. Just being so well prepared for the game, it actually turned out to be fun.

It’s hard to flip a switch off a loss, but I think the mindset plays a big part. Nobody’s mindset slipped. Everybody wanted to go out there and win against Florida State and we knew we didn’t play our best game. So our mindset was locked in on the fact that we knew we could do better, knew we had a lot more to prove. That didn’t show against Florida State but we had an opportunity the following week to show that.

So this win, we got to enjoy it. It’s been a long process for us. We’ve been through a lot with this team, a lot of adversity. And we got ourselves out of a lot of adversity. At this point we want to make sure we enjoy this moment as a team, as a family. Last week we realized we’ve been through a lot as a team, so just to still be here, for us to keep fighting, go through adversity and find our way out of it – we have to enjoy the process.

It has definitely been a roller-coaster season. We’re still trying to pinpoint where that’s coming from but I’m just proud of the guys and their mindset, how they continue to put effort in each and every week.

You know, coming off that loss to Florida State, we were disappointed. We were just disappointed at what happened. The coaches, the whole program in general, was just disappointed. Not down. Nobody had their head to the side, nobody had discouraging words. We just were more disappointed than anything.

JACURRI STEPPED IN AND GAVE TEAM THE HEARTBEAT IT NEEDED

We believed in Jacurri to go out there and be able to provide the offense with some things that they needed. And he went out there and did that exact thing. He did that exact thing and we were proud of him. We knew coming into that game that we had a good feeling with him at quarterback.

With Jacurri, all I can say is I’m impressed. I’m proud of him going out there and being a mature adult even though he’s a freshman. Pretty much everybody is saying he’s a bright kid with a bright future. He’s very happy just to be here, be in the situation he is in. So proud of him, how he’s handled everything and grown up and matured and basically stepped in and gave this team the heartbeat that it needed.

His leadership definitely helped the offense, gave them the juice that they needed to get over the hump that we’ve been witnessing for a few weeks now.

We also knew we had to do our part on defense, and we were really locked in. We didn’t have that many mess-ups in practice, were all communicating on an elite level. We all just were trusting each other and going out there and working hard, especially after the loss we took.

KAM HAD 3 INTS; I ADDED ONE OF MY OWN

On my interception – honestly I didn’t even think he was going to throw it. But we were in a man concept and the tight end blocked and released late and he was wide open. Honestly I didn’t see him. I just saw all the commotion going on in the backfield, then I watched my receiver. He kind of slowed down which just made me turn around. I turned around and saw the wide open guy and ran there. By the time I got there, the ball was already in the air. I watched it and was like I didn’t even know how I knew to come off my own man. I just turned around and found the ball.

I felt it. More than anything I felt it – I didn’t do that, think to do that. Just my body, it just happened like that. It was more of an instinct thing, letting the play develop, read the play which is all instincts for me.

Getting that interception was good, I felt  happy. i was able to add some spark to the defense and the whole team that we needed. Especially in that critical situation. We’d given up some touchdowns and Georgia Tech was grabbing momentum and stuff like that. For me to be able to put them on pause means a lot to me that I was able to bless this team with the momentum.

And I should have had a lot more interceptions this season. I work on the JUGS and stuff every day to get my hands better. I feel I should have had three this game, four, felt I should have had four. But I’m just happy Kam went out there and did it for me.

And seeing Kam’s interceptions, that felt great. You know, he had a couple of games this year where he wasn’t real sure of himself. Seeing him grow as an individual and football player means a lot. Each game he’s getting better, starting to understand more. And just seeing him go out there, have a tackle for loss which means he’s down in the box, too. So for him to put a full game together was amazing to watch and be part of. That was special. To me, I’m not going to lie, I believe he can be the No. 1 safety in the nation in a few years. He locates the ball, has great range, great speed and he’s not afraid to tackle anybody. So just the next few years as he gets smarter with the game and starts to understand the game more and more I feel like he’ll be the No. 1 safety, maybe the No. 1 safety drafted, to be honest.

Kam succeeds in part because he’s always in the building watching film. He calls a group sometimes and we all make a group together to watch. But Kam is always in the building even if he’s in there by himself or calls two to three teammates with him to watch. You see that paying off definitely. That’s what it takes to be one of the top guys in the nation like he is now. You have to watch film to understand what’s going on around you, be able to react.  Him watching film and putting in extra work, it showed in the game on Saturday.

NOW IT’S ON TO CLEMSON, AND WE CAN’T LET A NAME BEAT US

Our mindset heading into the Clemson game? It’s 1-0, the same mindset we had each and every week. Nothing different. At the end of the day they still have to line up and snap the ball, we can’t let a logo beat us, let a name spook us into thinking that this game is bigger than what it is. Can’t let the media hype it up to more than what it is. It’s another game and we just have to go out there and play our game. It has to be a 1-0 mindset.

But just because you have a 1-0 mindset, put in work and just because you do everything right, sometimes it might not always come out on top for you. But that’s why you go back to work, try to fix it. Each and every week we come out with the same mindset, being 1-0. Some weeks involve more work than others, that’s just life. But each week we come out with the same mindset to be 1-0. Today is a new day, so we just take 1 percent today and try to add that onto tomorrow and try to create 2 percent, just keep going from there.

Clemson has been one of the top, dominant teams in the ACC, and hat’s off to them and coach Swinney up there putting the program in the right direction. They’ve been on top of their stuff for the last few years. Just coming into this game I feel we should go out there and play our game, you know? Just because they’ve been the top dogs the last few years, we can’t let that affect us. Every single play, with every ounce in our bodies, we’re going out there to compete. In every aspect – special teams, defense, offense, even going to compete on the sidelines, which sideline is hyped. We want to compete and give ourselves the best opportunity to win the game.

A key in the game, of course, will be our defense. I feel like we can improve in some areas, lock down some more stuff that will help us. But I just feel the defense overall, I’d say is relentless. We had a couple of games where the score wasn’t as it should be. But this defense keeps coming, everybody is willing to put that extra step in to be the best defense in the nation. I’ll say this defense is just relentless. All we want to do is come out and be better than the last play.

WE CAN STILL END STRONG

We have a lot of banged up guys – it is week 11. It flies by, it’s crazy how fast the end of the season creeps up on you.

For me, I feel like my best game is out there. I put together some good games, but don’t feel I’ve put together a complete game like I know I can.

And for the overall defense, we have a couple of games left. If we go out with the mindset of just give it everything you’ve got, you know, we can put on tape maybe in the next two or three depending why we should be one of the best defenses in the country despite the season that we had.

I HAVE A DECISION TO MAKE ON MY OWN FUTURE

With the season winding down I’ve been thinking about my future a lot. Maybe just talk to some family members, some people that will help me with the decision. Maybe after this Clemson week we’ll start really getting the ball rolling and stuff like that, get this new journey started.

I just have to go over the small details that will equal up to it. Honestly, I kind of got some good reviews, kind of got bad reviews. But at the same time I still haven’t paid attention to it because I want to give this team my all, my focus and give this team every ounce I have in me until I’m out of here. Maybe this might be my last ride with the team, and I don’t want them to feel like I shorted them trying to think of a goal that’s a few weeks away.