SUNSET, S.C. — Tony Elliott was not shy Tuesday when he was asked why Travis Etienne is his No. 1 running back on the preseason-depth chart.
“He is the most consistent in terms of the big play,” Clemson’s co-offensive coordinator said prior to the start of Dabo Swinney’s media golf outing at The Reserve on Lake Keowee.
Last year, Etienne had four plays over 50 yards, scoring on three of them. It was the most Clemson has had by a running back since C.J. Spiller in 2009. According to Elliott, those big plays continued in the spring and it was just too much for the coaching staff to overlook.