Everything Rhett Lashlee said before SMU faces Clemson for ACC Championship

SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee spoke with the media Sunday ahead of Saturday’s matchup with Clemson in the ACC Championship. Here’s the transcript of the interview.

Opening Statement from Lashlee: “Well, we’re obviously just incredibly excited to get a chance to compete in the ACC Championship game. Pretty cool being in our first year in the league, but just really proud of our team to go 8-0, you know in a conference is, to me, is tough and is, you know, just top to bottom filled with a lot of parity as the ACC. We just feel really fortunate to be one of the two teams getting to compete for our championship. So I know our guys are really looking forward to preparing for a great Clemson team this week and getting to Charlotte and competing.” 

On lobbying the CFP for SMU’s spot regardless of outcome on Saturday:  “I don’t think I’m going to do any lobbying really, because I don’t know if that would matter. But I do hope that the committee continues to value our resume and our total body of work. I mean, I think the reality of it is there’s two power four teams that have gone undefeated in their conference. It’s us and Oregon. And to me, that should mean a lot. We won the ACC regular season championship outright. Going undefeated and the way we did it and how we did it, I think it’s important and we played 10 power four games. I mean, we played a 10-win Big 12 team and an 8-4 big 12 team. No one else did that plus an eight-game conference schedule. So, I think that based on what we’ve heard and what we’ve been told, I would like to feel good about it. I mean, 11-1, 8-0 in the ACC, one of the top three leagues in America. Hopefully it’s a reward and we’re playing for a first round bye but you know, really all we can do is control our play. That’s what we’ve been trying to do the last five or six weeks. And so we’re gonna do everything we can to win a championship and hope that’s enough. But yeah, I do believe our kids have earned the right to be one of the 12 best teams in America. And I really hope the committee sees it that way as well.” 

On whether the quarterback change was the turning point of SMU’s season: “Yeah, I think we probably had two pivotal moments in our season. I mean, I think the first was just deciding to settle on Kevin as our starter and give our team some consistency and stability and allow us offensively to start building an identity around Kevin and what he does well. And I think it really helped our offense be more balanced and make defenses have to defend the whole field. And so I think that’s been big and I think it just gave our guys some clarity so they could just go play. I think the second thing was probably the three game stretch following that. We were able to beat TCU at home pretty handily and then to win our first conference game against Florida State at home the way we did was important. But then I think when we went on the road at Louisville and played the way we did to get a big road win, I think going through that three game stretch kind of gave our guys the confidence to believe that we had the kind of team we thought we had. And I think from that point on our guys knew we kind of established a standard that we could play to that if we played that well, we were going to be able to beat anybody we played and credit them. They’ve been chasing that standard ever since.” 

On the challenges of the Clemson game plan for SMU: “Well, it’s 3 o’clock here on Sunday. So I’ve started watching Clemson, but I haven’t watched enough to be able to probably tell you the specific thing that will be a challenge other than their players, their talent level. I mean, they’re a really good football team. Top to bottom defensively. I mean, they’re big up front on the D line. They can eat up gaps to stop the run. They can really rush the passer. They got a really good pressure package. West does a great job and then they got some really athletic linebackers. You can run and cover side to side and they got really athletic and long physical DBs. So there’s really not a weakness defensively and I think their defense has really carried them in a lot of ways and then you go to their offense. And you know Cade is someone I really have a lot of respect for. When I was the OC at Miami, he was the top quarterback in that class that I would have loved to have had. And you know being a Texas kid you know, had known of him and obviously he went to Clemson, but really thought highly of his skill set then I know they’ve got some really talented young receivers. They’ve got a game-changing tight end. And some really good linemen, even, you know, Tristan Leigh’s a guy we recruited hard at Miami. So, and then they got a big time running back like Phil Mafah. So when you just kind of start talking about their team, you know, they’re very well balanced. They don’t really have any weaknesses on either side of the ball. And I think that’s why they are the consistent team they are.” 

On the depth and parity change in the ACC over the last three years: “Yeah, I think there’s absolutely more depth and parity in our league than several years ago when I was at Miami. You know, we felt a little top-heavy back then and now I think, I may be wrong on the exact number, but of 17 teams, I believe 13 are bowl eligible or close to that number. And so to go, you know for us to go 8-0, I think that’s a big deal. But then to have, you know, Clemson right there at 7-1 in the league, Miami at 6-2. I don’t think there’s any question that we’ve separated as one of the top three leagues in America. And so we started looking at the top 12 teams it’s kind of hard to… you know, maybe objectively argue that we don’t deserve at least two teams in the playoff. I mean if you know, obviously I think we should be in regardless and if we’re able to win then you look at a Miami team that is 10-2, you know, they lost to a 9-3 team yesterday and they lost to a team in Georgia Tech at Georgia Tech that all they did is just go on the road and go eight overtimes with Georgia. So if, and I don’t know, I don’t presume to know what the committee is gonna do or think, but it feels or at least seems like schools like Ohio State and Tennessee that are 10-2 are in, then Miami should probably be looked at in the exact same vein as well at 10-2. And then there’s a cluster of SEC teams at 9-3. And I think at some point, strength of schedule and all that stuff matters, but your records gotta matter. And 10-2 is better than 9-3 when you’re measuring pretty close resumes. So, and then if you look at the fact that if we’re able to lose the game, I mean, Clemson automatically is in. And again, I think our body of work should put us in. So I think it’d be good for college football to have multiple teams from the ACC competing for a national championship in the playoff.” 

On relationships with Clemson staff, Dabo Swinney: “Yeah, I mean, I know Coach Swinney just a little bit from being in the league and have always admired him from afar. We’re not exactly close, not for any reason other than we just, I’ve only been a head coach three years and he’s been a head coach a long time. But yeah, I did have a lot of good relationships with a lot of guys that’ve worked for him. Chad Morris and I have known each other for a long time, going back to when I was playing for Gus Malzahn in high school and Chad was coming to watch us play in the playoffs to talk offense with Gus. And then Tony Elliott and Jeff Scott are two good friends of mine that were there forever. And there’s some other guys too. So not as many guys maybe on the current staff, but a lot of guys that have gone through there and the way that Dabo’s ran his program and the consistency at which Clemson has been able to win, to me, I think speaks volumes and so I’ve been fortunate to know a lot of those guys and got a lot of respect for all of them.” 

On the SMU defense: “I mean, I think that’s what’s really shifted in our program in the last two years is the defensive side of the ball. I mean, we’ve been able to continue to be effective offensively, but defense travels as you said, defense gives you a chance to win championships. We saw that last year with us being able to win a championship. And I think what Scott Symons and our entire defensive staff has done to kind of change the culture here defensively is huge for us as the program we’re trying to build not only now this year, but for the future. And you’re right. I mean, our guys have really bought into the physicality you got to play with, to the depth we have on that side of the ball. And it all starts with being physical and stopping the run and running to the football. And if you can do that, then that allows you to get in situations where you can try to rush the passer either with the defensive front and their skill set or with pressures as you’re saying. And so I don’t think it’s any different. You look at Clemson, what makes them a really good defense is they can stop the run, they have guys that swarmed with the football and then allows it to get in third and seven plus or obvious passing situations. And then that’s when the advantage goes to the defense. And so, but I think what Scott and our defense has done, I mean, you just look at yesterday in our game, we started fast offensively against a really good defense in Cal. We were able to get up 21-0, but then we didn’t score for two quarters, almost. But defensively, we just kept controlling the game until we were able to get going again. I just think that’s a testament to Scott and our defensive players.”

On changes in SMU QB Kevin Jennings since AAC championship: “Experience is a great teacher and it also builds a lot of confidence and I think it builds confidence in two areas, you know. You know, obviously it builds confidence in Kevin because he has the Tulane experience from last year to build on, but now he has nine starts this year to build on. So you start looking at now he’s over 10, 11 starts and has been really successful. That just builds his confidence and confidence in the guys around him, right? And then I think also for me as a play caller, you know, you look at last year going to that first game, you’re still learning the guy and how he is in a game. And so I don’t say you call plays to protect him, but you just call plays as you’re learning along the way to whereas now you feel like you know him, you feel like you can trust him fully and call it aggressive and call it for let him go make plays and let him go do what he does. So I just think the consistency of that experience is gonna give him a lot of confidence, give me a lot of confidence like we have in him. And at the end of the day, he’s a winner and that’s just what he’s done. He won state championships in Texas, he won the championship game last year, he got us to one this year. So he’s been in these kind of moments.” 

On continued success despite SMU’s conference change: “Obviously, it’s a challenge, you know. I mean, this team is different than last year’s team. It had to be right, because we were definitely stepping up into a much tougher conference in a much bigger weight class as I’ve referenced before. But yeah, consistency of performance is what’s hard. It’s what’s hard to get in this game. And so I think the way our staff is consistent, we built a really strong culture here both for our staff that bleeds into our team and so I think that is, that’s all players really want. They just want consistency. Be who you’re gonna be, be who you say you’re gonna be, but be that way all the time, whether you win, lose, good, bad. And I think our staff does that, and I think that’s allowed our team and our players specifically to believe in what we do and trust what we’re doing. And I think our player leadership is what really deserves the most credit. I mean, we never won back to back 11-game seasons here at SMU till now. And a lot of these seniors, we got 30 seniors that walked on senior day yesterday. A lot of those guys were here last year as well. And so at the end of the day, your best teams are led by the players. And that’s the kind of team we have.” 

On keeping SMU focused on Saturday, not the CFP: “Yeah, we’re gonna keep doing what we’re doing. I mean, I think when you get to the championship game, they’re gonna be focused on that. They know that we have a chance to play an incredible program like Clemson for 60 minutes on Saturday night. And if we can come out victorious, we’re gonna be ACC champions. I mean, that’s a huge deal and that was the goal. That was the goal we were all along working towards was to get to Charlotte and give ourselves a chance. And so, and with regards to the CFP stuff, we’ve kind of been dealing with that the last month, the last four or five weeks. It’s almost been playoffs for us because on one hand, we had to keep winning to just try to get to Charlotte. And then even last week after we clenched Charlotte, I mean the Cal game was a must win if we wanted to stay in contention for a large bid into the tournament. So our guys, I can’t be more proud of them. And I think our staff does deserve a lot of credit for how they’ve led them. But I couldn’t be more proud of our guys in a world where it’s really hard. I mean, it’s hard for me to focus on it, right? So for them to go week in, week out with all that kind of pressure, knowing what’s at stake and to somehow stay present and focus on just what we have to do to win this week has been pretty special. And I think that’s what I hope probably more than anything the committee sees is we’re 11-1, 8-0, we’ve won nine straight games. And all those games, whether they’re on the road or at home, and there was a lot of pressure and the guys just every time that consistency of performance has to speak for itself. And I couldn’t be more proud of the guys for that. So I know that’s maybe not the answer you wanted, but we’re gonna keep doing what we’ve been doing and we’re gonna focus on Clemson and we’re not gonna worry about anything else.” 

On expectations for SMU playing Clemson in Charlotte:  “I mean, I think, again, to your point, we definitely would have been happy playing anybody, but we’re happy to be here. But, man, yeah, I mean, I think what Coach Swinney and Clemson have done and the standard they’ve set in our league is what we want to build our program to be like. You know, we want to be a team that year in, year out is viewed as a team that has a chance to compete to get to Charlotte. And that’s what Clemson is every year. Everybody knows that if you wanna win the championship, probably to some degree, you’re gonna have to go through them. And so yeah, I mean, we came into this season knowing that we wanted to just prove we belonged. And I think our guys have done that and this is just another opportunity to kind of see where we stand, see how we measure up on a championship level contest against the team that set that standard. With regards to the crowd, I mean, I have no doubt based on the crowds we’ve had here in Dallas this year that our fans are gonna travel extremely well. They’re gonna be fired up. But yeah, I mean, it’s definitely a lot closer to Clemson, South Carolina than it is Dallas, Texas, and that’s fine. We’ve done fine on the road. Last year, we had to go win at Tulane. That was definitely a road environment. I don’t think this will be as one sided as that one was, but it might be. And if so, that’s fine. I mean, we’re just excited to play against a great opponent, a great venue.” 

On advantages/disadvantages to coaching against Swinney with him having already faced him: “You know, I don’t know, it’s a good question. I don’t think so. You know, there may be some slight things here or there and those always are fair questions. I just you know when we went against him the first time Brent Venables was the DC. He’s not the DC anymore. You know, Garrett Riley’s calling plays now. It was Tony and Jeff then, so you start talking about the people calling the plays are different. And hopefully I’ve grown and changed a little bit as well. So, yeah, I don’t know, I mean, maybe some of it matters, maybe some of it doesn’t, but I’m not going back and watching the 2020 Miami-Clemson game thinking that’s gonna be a big deciding factor on Saturday.” 

On Cade Klubnik’s growth:  “Yeah, yeah, I liked Cade back then for what you see him doing right now. I mean, he can really throw the football, he can hurt you with his legs. But I just liked who he was. I liked the intangibles he had, as a leader, as a winner, what he did in high school and what he’s now done there. I haven’t sat and studied his career near to the level you have to see all the areas he’s grown. But I think second year in the system with Riley and like everything else, just like for Kevin, I mean, I think the more games you play, the better you get. I mean, the game slows down, you get more confident. You’ve been in when big moments come, you’ve been in them before, the more you played. And so I think that’s what he does. I mean, I think he values the football. He gets the ball to his playmakers and when he needs to pull it down like he did yesterday a couple of times, make some big runs. He shows great toughness. He did it against Pitt a few weeks ago as well. So I just think again, he looks like he’s very comfortable and in complete command of what they’re trying to do. And so I think as a quarterback, when you get to the point that you’re no longer worrying about yourself, like you’re confident who you are in a system you’re in, you’re just gonna go play. It allows you to help make others around you better. And I think he’s gotten to that phase where his play makes the guys around him better.”

On SMU TEs and WRs: “Yeah, I think it’s been awesome, you know, we’ve talked a lot about depth on the O&D line but definitely the skill positions was key. And I look at tight end, what Matthew Hibner’s done in terms of a passing threat for us, but what him and Stone Eby have done in terms of the run game as well, you know losing it you don’t lose a player like RJ and just replace him. But those guys have stepped in and made a lot of place for us and then you look at receiver, I think what Roderick Daniels has done, kind of been a Renaissance man for us and has played everywhere. But moving back to receiver when Jake went out after the Duke game and just his production the last three or four weeks has been incredible. And to no surprise. He’s just a do whatever it takes guy. And then I think our outside receivers have really stepped up, you know, Key’Shawn Smith lately, Moochie Dixon, Jordan Hudson, you know, we lost Romelo Brinson too after about the third or fourth game and that was a big hit. You know, we’re hoping to get Romelo back soon. But we’ve kind of, for the last eight weeks, played with three outside receivers and been down our two leading receivers in the slot, like you said. And I just think those guys have just had a next man up mentality and gone out and really competed and made a lot of big plays for us.” 

On Dallas as a college sports town and support of SMU: “I think Dallas is a sports town. And we love the Cowboys, we love the Mavs, we love the Rangers, we love the Stars, and right now, we love the Mustangs. And so – I think that’s what’s awesome, is the entire city has really rallied around our program. We have a great mayor, Eric Johnson, supports us at every turn. The city’s embraced us. I think the crowds at Ford Stadium this year aren’t just as good as they’ve been just because of SMU alumni showing up. The entire city’s buzzing and talking about the Mustangs. Every time we win, the city lights up red and blue. So I think we’ve proven that Dallas, you know, Dallas is a special city. It deserves a big time college football program. And it can without question support us and all our pro teams. And that’s what’s been happening. And so we’re just excited to get to represent our city.” 

On SMU K Collin Rogers and special teams: “Yeah, it’s been huge and our guys have really bought into starters gotta be on teams in general, I do think Collin’s been awesome. I think he’s got seven field goals of 50 yards or more, that’s one away from the NCAA record and he hadn’t been able to attempt one that long in a while, but you know, he’s been really really steady for us. Made another big one yesterday when we needed it from 48. And I think Isaac Pearson has done a great job punting for us. And then you got guys like Roderick Daniels and Brashard Smith in the return game. There’s three phases that are important. And we talk about O and D a lot, winning the run game, winning the turnover battle, winning the explosives. But from a special teams standpoint, we got to protect our kicks, we got to cover our kicks and we got to try to be explosive. That consistency has definitely been better this year for us than last year. I think that’s helped us a lot.”