Kobe Pace Pushing for Starting Role Against Georgia

After showing promise in limited action as a freshman, sophomore running back Kobe Pace has taken major strides as he heads into his second season with the Tigers.

The Clemson Tigers are looking to replace the production of Travis Etienne, and what better way to get the younger, less experienced running backs on the roster ready for the season than to have them face off with one of the best defensive lines in the country every day in practice.

Due to that fact, offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said the Tigers have found rushing yards tough to come by in the scrimmages during fall camp

"It was tough sledding today with what they were doing on defense," Elliott said after the team's second scrimmage last week. "They had a bunch of guys around the box, playing aggressive, so we had to do some different things. Try to move the pocket, get the ball on the perimeter, use some RPO stuff."

However, there was one running back that stood out at times and according to Elliott, that was sophomore Kobe Pace.

"Kobe did have a couple of good runs," Elliott said. "Especially down in the low red zone where he was able to push the ball in for a touchdown."

Pace and senior Lyn-J Dixon have been locked in a heated battle during fall camp for the role of starting running back. While Dixon absolutely has the edge when it comes to experience, Elliott said after showing potential as a freshman, Pace has made huge strides when it comes to learning the playbook and his responsibilities in the offense.

"I think that we saw a ton of flashes (last season)," Elliott said. "Just still needed to learn the entire package, to be able to function in all the situations, especially from a protection standpoint but we knew that it was there. We anticipated that he was going to be a guy that was really going to push for that spot, or whoever was in that lead spot."

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