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Jeff Scott, Tony Elliott have smooth partnership as Clemson co-OCs

Shortly after Jeff Scott and Tony Elliott became Clemson co-offensive coordinators last year, they had to tackle their first order of business: coming up with a game plan to stop Oklahoma.

Figuring out how exactly to handle their coordinator duties? That was the easy part.

“It has been smooth the entire time,” Scott told ESPN.com recently.

Really?

“I know it’s hard to believe,” Scott said with a chuckle. “We get asked all the time, ‘When was the moment when you two argued about a call.’ But there has never been that moment. Part of that goes back to the relationship that he and I both have and the respect and trust we have in each other that it never gets to that point. We know what each other’s thinking already and so we really just try to feed off each other.”

Perhaps this month feels like "Groundhog Day" for Scott and Elliott, who are tasked with beating Oklahoma once again, this time in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl. Some of the same questions they got last year are being asked again, not only because the opponent is the same.

There remains curiosity about how exactly Scott and Elliott make their partnership work. The truth is, they do nearly everything the same way Chad Morris did before he left for SMU last season. First, they run their meetings with coaches similarly, allowing their offensive staff input in the game plan.

Generally speaking, each offensive coach is given an assignment Sunday evening to research. For Scott, that means studying the big plays the opponent’s defense has given up. He watches cut ups of every play that gained 16 yards or more, looking for patterns and similarities.

On Monday afternoons, the staff gets together and reports what they’ve found. Then each coach addresses the offensive players with their notes, giving them a quick overview of the opponent during a scouting report meeting. The coaches then begin putting together a game plan.

Throughout the week, coaches talk about their ideas as a group, then write up calls they believe will serve them best. Those will go directly to the call sheet.

“It’s important to both Tony and myself, and very similar to when Chad was the offensive coordinator -- we did it the same way and it gives authority to everybody in that room. Everybody has a responsibility, and an opportunity to help put together the game plan.”

By Thursdays, the offensive staff sits down and talks about scripting their first nine plays, and their second nine plays. The first nine will be run when the game starts; the second nine either comes next or is held until the start of the second half, depending on the way the game is going. Scott and Elliott organize the plays and call sheet, and it’s done in the evening.

On game days, Scott is positioned on the sideline and Elliott is in the box, calling the plays. They stay in constant communication throughout the game.

“There will be times throughout that drive where I’ll see something and throw it out, and Tony will say, 'Yes let’s go with it,' and we’ll go. I may say, ‘Hey, next time we go out there what do you think about starting off with this?’ We know when to speak up and when to let Tony roll with it, especially playing in tempo in certain situations. Obviously, there’s timeouts where there’s some discussion, but it’s really not a whole lot different other than the fact that it’s Tony and myself making those final calls.”

They have worked so closely together the last four years, and the last 14 games as co-coordinators, that it has gotten to the point where they know what the other is thinking during games. Their constant discussions during the week are invaluable.

So is the actual game experience. Clemson has nine straight games with at least 500 yards of total offense.

“I've gotten a better feel of being able to get to the adjustments that I want to make and me calling what I've seen in my mind's eye off of tape,” Elliott told reporters in Clemson this week. “A lot of credit goes to the players. I've learned that you've got to keep it simple, so they're confident. When they're confident, they can go out and execute.”

Scott is also confident that their partnership has helped the offensive players in the example they have set.

“They’ve seen the way our staff works together,” Scott said. “There’s not one dictator over the entire group, and I think our players have shown that same teamwork and chemistry on offense as our coaching staff has.”