Jalen Rivers talks versatility: “Markel Bell earned the right to get reps at left tackle”
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After five years with the program, Jalen Rivers is one win away from his first ACC Championship game. He met with reporters to discuss the challenge ahead:
On being so close to the title game: We’re excited to get a chance to be in the talks and even reaching that point. But first, we’ve got to handle Syracuse. We’re preaching 1-0 because that's really our mentality and that's our lifestyle.
On Syracuse: They're a great team. Offensively, defensively, they're physical. They get after it with a high motor. Their defensive line is really good. So the offensive line has a good challenge this week.
On shifting between LG and LT: Left guard is a spot that I've been playing since I've been here. My first two years I was at left guard, so it wasn't anything new. During that whole time I was out and injured, Markel [Bell] did a great job filling in at the left tackle spot. I was just there as a coach and as an ear for him for any advice he needed. When I came back, he deserved the right to stay at left tackle and get reps at that spot. It wasn't like, “Oh, left tackle. I'm coming right in”. No, Markel deserved the right to keep playing as he should.
So ever since I came back, I've been, you've seen me alternating left guard and left tackle. It's not that big of a change up. I'm happy to be in there with Markel, just to give him a little advice during the game too. Me at left guard, you learn as a lot as a left tackle. I think my versatility, everybody says that's a good thing about me.
On the running game: We preach every single week that we just want to run the ball. The whole offensive line, we want to run the ball. We need to keep going and adding and attacking it and just find ways to execute better so we have a successful running game like we did the other games [and not Georgia Tech].
On being so close to the title game: We’re excited to get a chance to be in the talks and even reaching that point. But first, we’ve got to handle Syracuse. We’re preaching 1-0 because that's really our mentality and that's our lifestyle.
On Syracuse: They're a great team. Offensively, defensively, they're physical. They get after it with a high motor. Their defensive line is really good. So the offensive line has a good challenge this week.
On shifting between LG and LT: Left guard is a spot that I've been playing since I've been here. My first two years I was at left guard, so it wasn't anything new. During that whole time I was out and injured, Markel [Bell] did a great job filling in at the left tackle spot. I was just there as a coach and as an ear for him for any advice he needed. When I came back, he deserved the right to stay at left tackle and get reps at that spot. It wasn't like, “Oh, left tackle. I'm coming right in”. No, Markel deserved the right to keep playing as he should.
So ever since I came back, I've been, you've seen me alternating left guard and left tackle. It's not that big of a change up. I'm happy to be in there with Markel, just to give him a little advice during the game too. Me at left guard, you learn as a lot as a left tackle. I think my versatility, everybody says that's a good thing about me.
On the running game: We preach every single week that we just want to run the ball. The whole offensive line, we want to run the ball. We need to keep going and adding and attacking it and just find ways to execute better so we have a successful running game like we did the other games [and not Georgia Tech].
