CLEMSON, S.C. — Stepping into the starting role for Clemson on Saturday was a dream realized for running back Gideon Davidson, even amidst a challenging day on the field for the Tigers’ offense.
“It was very exciting. I really enjoyed it. I’m super grateful for the opportunity I had. I hope to keep it going. I just know that this Saturday is going to mean a lot more. Just you know, bringing back. Clemson to the top, like Dabo said. Yeah, no, that opportunity was amazing. I loved every moment of it,” Davidson said.
Assessing his own performance and the run game’s struggles, Davidson offered a candid review of where things went wrong and how he plans to take accountability moving forward.
“Kind of struggled? Yeah, I would just say that we had a few issues. We, me myself, had a couple of mistakes, but I just look at that as an opportunity to, you know, improve, get better. Really, just take this as a leadership opportunity to, you know, take accountability in myself for my team. Yeah, I just. Think that there’s a lot of improvement that we gotta work on, and I think we’ll get it done.”
Reviewing the game film reinforced that feeling, highlighting several missed opportunities during the contest.
“For sure, I felt like I definitely left a lot on the field. I wish I could get a few plays back, but the reality is I can’t. And gotta look forward to this upcoming game.”
When looking ahead to the upcoming matchup against Georgia Southern, Davidson made it clear that the issues from the opener were psychological rather than physical.
“Ah. For me, it was more just mentality, more of kind of mental mistakes. Really, just things that were easy, basic things that we can fix. Nothing really performance-wise that we gotta work on. It was just kind of just mental, mental mistakes.”
He dismissed any concerns regarding talent up front or protection schemes, maintaining full belief in his offensive line and unit.
“Um, honestly, we have the talent. We have the ability to, you know, get it. Get it fixed. It’s just really mental mistakes. There’s no real talent issues that we have. It’s all things that we can fix on the board and get it right the next week.”
When asked what caused those mental lapses, Davidson pointed to a combination of environment, scheme changes, and self-imposed pressure.
“Yeah, I would say really. I mean, it was a big, big environment. Obviously, 130, 000 people can definitely get to somebody’s head, but I’d really just say it was kind of a mix of, you know, new offense, a massive environment, just a lot of pressure from myself to, you know, be great. I would just say those mental mistakes were kind of just a lot of different factors put together, but it’s nothing that we can’t fix.”
As a leader in the backfield, his message to the rest of the running backs room has stayed simple and direct.
“Really, just fixing everything mentally. Because we have the ability to run the ball really well. It’s nothing, not depth- or talent-wise. It’s really just focusing on the mistakes we gotta improve on. I really think that’s it.”
With the Clemson offense playing fewer than 50 snaps in the opener, finding a rhythm was tough, but Davidson remains confident in their trajectory.
“For sure. Yeah, I mean, we did struggle to, you know, get our offense rolling, but you know. This Saturday, I feel like we’re going to have a better opportunity to, you know, run a lot more plays, show what the offense can do, and I’m just excited to see, you know, the outcome.”
That turnaround began immediately when the team returned to the practice field.
“Yeah, it’s really, yeah, it is about getting back to work. I mean, we really honed in on, you know, the mistakes that we made, and we had the right focus, the right mindset coming back yesterday in practice, and I feel like our offense right now is going to do really well. This week and then this upcoming game, I feel like our mindset is, you know, being sharp and all the basic things.”
Reflecting on past seasons—such as last year’s LSU game and the subsequent Troy game referenced earlier by teammate David Eziomume—Davidson noted that preventing a loss from lingering is the main priority.
“Yeah, I just say the little basic details. I feel like we, you know, we let the loss linger a lot last year, and the difference this year is going to be how we respond to, you know, the loss this past Saturday. Really, just, you know, focusing on the things that we can control will be like the biggest aspect of our game this Saturday.”
To keep his focus razor-sharp amidst outside noise, Davidson took direct action by unplugging from digital distractions.
“Me personally, I just, you know, turn off social media, just like everybody else, but I kind of just, you know, focus on myself, focus on the team, the guys around me. I let you know Coach Swinney coaches and leads this team. Really listen to what he has to say because, I mean, he’s been in it for a very long time, and he knows what he’s saying when he says to block out the noise. And so I just kind of lean off of what he says and, you know, do it. He does.”
He candidly admitted that social media had eaten into his preparation during the previous week.
“Yeah, for me, social media is more of like a distraction, and in time, not necessarily like what people say. So, you know, I felt like last week I wasn’t as focused as I needed to be. I felt like I was on social media just too much. So this week I decided I need to, you know, just let it go, turn it off, you know. Give it. Give myself a break, so I can focus on the bigger, you know, Picture ahead.”
With his focus reset, Davidson remains confident in his comfort level within the system designed by offensive coordinator Chad Morris, built throughout off-season work.
“For sure. I would say I definitely got a lot more comfortable. I’ve got the ability to run a lot. Coach Morris’s offense runs a lot, and I felt like I just got a lot more comfortable with the plays that we were running in the spring and summer. I would say that.”
