Scott Shafer: Orange Preparing For 'One of the Most Difficult Environments in the Country'

Scott Shafer had his Monday chat with Matt Park to discuss the Syracuse Orange victory over Wake Forest and then look forward to the game against the Clemson Tigers this weekend.

Shafe had a lot of praise for his defense and their efforts in the Wake win. As for A.J. Long, Shafer thinks he did "a real nice job." So that's nice.

The big takeaway is that Clemson presents a lot of things are going to be the best and/or most difficult we've faced this year.

• The Clemson front seven is "probably as good as anyone we've played this year."
• Defensive end Vic Beasley is "one of the better athletes we've seen in years."
• Death Valley is "one of the most difficult environments in the country."
• Is Clemson's defense the best Syracuse has played? "You could definitely argue that."

Neat!

Shafer particularly has a bit of a crush on Beasley, saying, "he's athletic enough to probably play anywhere on the field. I wouldn't lose sleep if I was coaching him and lined him up at wide receiver." As if Jarrod West doesn't already have enough problems...