By Will Vandervort.
By Heath Bradley
DURHAM, NC – After allowing 17 points in the first 17 minutes in No. 9 Clemson’s 56-20 victory over Duke Saturday night, the Clemson defense rose to the occasion after that, holding an explosive Duke offense to just three points the rest of the night.
The turnaround began early in the second quarter for the Tigers. After the Blue Devils scored to make it 28-17 with just over 13 minutes remaining, the Clemson defense stood tall, forcing five straight punts.
“I’m very excited about how they responded,” Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables said afterwards. “I’m very pleased with our guys responding to a few bad drives and a few bad plays. We had some turnovers, and our guys really responded well to those.
“We had some good pressure and I would like to have some turnovers, but I’ll take it for what it was.”
For the Tigers (8-1, 5-1 ACC) it was another step in the right direction. Following the game, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney praised the play of the defense, especially in the second half.
“This was an offense that can really score on people,” he said. “I was proud of how they played in the second half.”
Though the offense had a record night for yards and scored 56 points, it also turned the football over four times—the most in one game this season. But Duke (6-4, 3-3 ACC) failed to score any points off the miscues.
“A big key was the fact that our defense stopped Duke after we turned the ball over,” Swinney said. “Our Defense really showed up after we turned the ball over. I was disappointed in the two plays we gave up, but overall they played well.”
For the second straight week, the Tigers were able to generate a great pass rush, recording four sacks, including a sack on the Blue Devils final play of the night. Duke had allowed just 10 sacks prior to Saturday.
“Watching them on tape, I was impressed with the way they have protected the quarterback this year. We knew that was going to be a challenge,” Venables said. “At times, tonight, we had good coverage that allowed our guys to get there, which forced them to hold the ball a little longer.
“It’s a rhythm offense. They like to throw it on time, and there was time when the coverage had something to do with it and that was pleasing as well.”
According to Swinney, the Tigers ability to create pressure has played a large role in their defensive success the last three games. After generating 240 yards in the first half, the Blue Devils had only 102 in the second as Clemson held an opponent to 20 points or less for a third straight week.
“The thing I am most pleased with is the four sacks,” he said. “That is two weeks in a row now. I think we have had a total of nine sacks. We are just generating a lot more pressure. I am just really proud of the production there.”
As to what helped the defense turn the corner after a rough start, Venables said it was a little bit of playing better, but also making adjustments, giving credit to how his players responded.
“I think it is having better positioning, but you are also learning what they want to do as well. It is a little bit of the combination of the two,” he said.
Overall, this defense has really seemed to respond to any challenge thrown its way since returning from Tallahassee, Fla., on Sept. 22, and Saturday in Durham was no different.
“I am very pleased with how our guys responded to a few bad plays,” Venables said. “We had some turnovers and the guys responded well to those.”