Jaylon McClinton looking to bring the 'MO' into the Hawaii game
Safety Jaylon McClinton is coming off of a stellar performance against Liberty, where he was named defensive player of week for registering 5 total tackles, one forced fumble and a timely interception on the day.
But now the 5-foot-10, 200 junior and his defensive teammates are getting ready for Hawaii’s octane offense.
Even as defensive coordinator Jay Bateman pointed out, this is a solid group across the board, especially the secondary crew.
“Not really,” answered Bateman, when asked if there will be any personnel changes in the defense for the upcoming Saturday contest. “I think the secondary is doing well and I’m not sure the front seven has had many chances with all the passing we’ve seen.”
GoBlackKnights.com had an opportunity to catch-up with the Charlotte, North Carolina product for brief Q&A moment.
GBK: Last week you were named defensive player of the week after coming off of a stellar defensive performance against Liberty. Was that the type of game you envisioned for yourself and your defensive teammates after your loss against Duke the week prior?
McClinton: It’s a big thing for me to do my 1/11 on the defense and when a play comes to me and I’m able to make the play and get the ball, make the play and get it back to our offense. Kelvin Hopkins, Kell Walker, Darnell and all those guys are electric. So when we can get the ball back to them, it’s going to be a good game for us.
GBK: Hawaii is averaging 48 points per game and offensively, they may be on par or exceed that potency of the Duke Blue Devils ... what have you seen in the Hawaii offense that you know you guys must really hammer down on?
McClinton: They are very versatile with their run/pass offense. They are a really good passing team, their quarterback has a great arm, they have some really good receivers and even the same with their running backs ... I think they play three running backs. So for us is eliminating the big plays.
I know against Duke we gave up way too many big plays down the field and we gave up some big plays against Liberty that allowed them to kind of sneak their way back into the game a little bit. So, eliminating those types of plays will be key for us this week.
GBK: Is it hard not to look ahead to your upcoming encounter with No. 6 Oklahoma, are is team solely focused on getting ready for Hawaii?
McClinton: I haven’t thought about Oklahoma yet. It’s all Hawaii. They are a great challenge for us. We can’t look ahead and if we do, it wouldn’t be good for us this coming Saturday. Focusing on Hawaii is what we are doing right now.
GBK: Although you are defensive minded, were you impressed with how the offense came out and played last Saturday against Liberty?
McClinton: Most definitely. Honestly, I’m impressed with the last two weeks. First to come out against Duke and be able to throw the ball the way we did, and then last week (Liberty) and go back to the run ... it shows that our offense is getting more versatile. This will give a defense a lot more to worry about when they game plan.
I am really proud of the offense and what they are becoming.
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