By Heath Bradley.

By Heath Bradley

CLEMSON – Clemson cornerback Bashaud Breeland understands the key to being a special player at cornerback is having a short memory. The best players are able to let the best play go and move onto the next with ease.

For Breeland, the key is being able to stay loose on the field.

“Stop being uptight, once the play is over go on to the next,” the Clemson cornerback said Monday. “You have to have a one-track mind when you are at defensive back. You cannot be all intense; you have to be loose and calm. You have to have that swagger about you.”

One key to being able to play loose to Breeland is the ability to be able to have fun.

“We just have to go out and play and have fun,” he said. “We have to stop making it so serious, just play.”

The Tigers looked tight against No. 4 Florida State and they weren’t having fun either as the defense yielded 667 yards to the Seminoles, including 380 yards through the air. Being able to have fun, but still play within the system and with correct technique was key.

For Breeland, playing with correct technique is something that this defense, especially the secondary, must continue to improve on.

“Technique is a big issue we have to work on, we have to focus on it more,” he said. “I do not think it is that bad, but it is a big issue.”

After reviewing the game tape of the loss to Florida State, Breeland has recognized the area of his game that can use the most improvement is how he uses his feet.

“My footwork gets me in trouble a lot, it puts me in bad positions,” he said. “I need to work on it more.”

While the Tigers may have dropped their first game of the season this past weekend to Florida State, to Breeland, it is not the end of the season.

“It was just the fourth game, it was not a championship loss,” he said. “We are not going to beat ourselves up about it too bad.”

If anything, Breeland, and the defense plan to use their play on Saturday night as a rallying point for the remainder of the season. According to Breeland, there is only one thing the Tigers can do, and that is work harder.

“Preparation, work harder preparing for this game, use this as an edge for the next team,” he said.

As the Tigers move forward in 2012, Breeland understands that there are still eight weeks left in the regular season, and that is plenty of time for the Clemson secondary to improve and find the “swagger” that he feels is necessary to be successful.

“It is only the fourth game of the year, a long season ahead of us, we have a lot of time to get it right,” he said.