SCOTTSDALE, Arizona -- There must be a secret, Clemson football offensive lineman John Simpson is asked, to running back Travis Etienne's explosiveness.
Simpson says the answer is in his feet, and while that seems like an obvious explanation, the veteran of three College Football Playoffs came prepared with visual aids.
“You can see in the way he walks,” Simpson said. Then he held his hands up, palms out, with his fingers tilted out. "His feet go like this."
Some people might try to hide their unorthodox gait, even correct it. Etienne embraced it. Asked if Simpson’s theory made sense, the Doak Walker Award finalist considered all the times his feet seem to find awkward positions, yet keep him upright and keep him moving.
“That is something I was born with,” Etienne said. “I’ve always walked kind of duck-footed. I just thank God for my tremendous balance that I do have.”
Etienne said his mother used that term. If the junior’s feet bear even a slight abnormality, they have carried him to extraordinary results. Etienne averages 8.24 yards per carry and scores a touchdown about every 11th time he takes a handoff.
It is Etienne’s feet to convert a small gain into a monster that could be a game-changer when Clemson and Ohio State play in Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl in the CFP semifinals.
Etienne’s 19 plays of 20 or more yards are tied for fifth among all non-receivers. The three running backs ahead of him on the list all have considerably more offensive touches than Etienne’s 211: Memphis’ Kenneth Gainwell (266), Ohio State’s J.K Dobbins (300) and Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard (330).
Of Etienne’s 182 carries, 45 have gone for 10 or more yards. So roughly every four times quarterback Trevor Lawrence hands off to Etienne, Clemson gains a first down — or more.
Etienne calls it turning a single into a double, and beyond the yards and points it gains for the Tigers, it can also provide an emotional swing.
“Making the most out of your plays when there’s nothing there, just being able to gain more, you definitely take pride in that,” Etienne said. “It’s not going to always be wide open. So you have to make plays as a running back, and that’s what takes a running back to the next level.”
We cannot pretend speed is not a factor. Etienne was clocked at 4.43 seconds in the 40-yard dash out of Jennings (La.) High School. We cannot pretend the other weapons in Clemson’s offense — the multi-faceted Lawrence and prominent receivers Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross — don’t help create those game-breaking opportunities.
Yet Etienne possesses other innate talents, and they may or may not have anything to do with his feet.
“What I think a lot of people don’t realize is he’s very natural,” Clemson co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach Tony Elliott said. "He’s got natural patience, he’s got home-run speed, and he’s got unbelievable contact balance.
“If you watch him he can run through that first tackle — and he expects to run through the first tackle. And for a guy that’s in that 205-210-pound range, he runs very, very violently.”
Ohio State noticed that last part. The Buckeye defense has faced some talented runners in 2019: Wisconsin’s thunderous Jonathan Taylor. Indiana’s steady Stevie Scott. Maryland’s flashy Javon Leake.
Etienne, however, seems like a new challenge altogether in that the Buckeyes cannot make him the focal point of their defensive plan, nor can they afford to overlook him.
Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has referred to Buckeye safety Jordan Fuller as “the eraser” for his ability to stifle big plays on the back end. If Fuller is left too often to account for Etienne, however, the Buckeyes’ battle may already be lost. Ohio State’s front seven — the foundation of a defense allowing the sixth-lowest yards-per-carry average in the nation — will need to be sound at the first level.
“He’s obviously good in open spaces and he’s good at the first level breaking through tackles,” Ohio State linebacker Tuf Borland said. “But I think it’s that violent style of running that helps him get into the open field and break long runs and make big plays.”
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Etienne ranks third among all Clemson players with 29 receptions, though his yards per catch (10.3) and longest play (27) look almost ordinary compared to those rushing numbers.
Ohio State allowed the third-fewest plays of 30 or more yards, and ranked in the top 10 for 10- and 20-plus-yard gains as well. Of the 12 times an opponent gained 30 or more yards, only four came on running plays.
On the other hand, the Buckeyes may not have faced anyone with a skill set like Etienne’s.
“I watched the film, he pops out and gets big catches out of the backfield,” Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah said. “When I watched previous teams I didn’t see a lot of running backs do that a lot, but with him it’s kind of a recurring trend. I know the front seven has to be really detailed in what they do limiting his big-play ability.”
From any angle, Etienne presents a challenge.
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