By Heath Bradley.

By Heath Bradley

CLEMSON – Another week and another solid performance from the Clemson defense.

That is not a sentence many Clemson fans thought they would hear early on. However, since allowing 31 points to Georgia Tech and Paul Johnson’s triple option attack, the Clemson defense is allowing no more than 20 points in a game over the last four weeks.

Over that four game span No. 9 Clemson has allowed a total of 60 points, an average of only 15 points per game to go along with one of the nation’s most prolific offenses. For example, in that same four-game span the Tigers scored 181 points, averaging over 45 points per game.

The new found defensive steadiness can be attributed to familiarity with the system senior defensive end Malliciah Goodman said.

“Settling down and getting more confident (in the new system) has been a big thing,” he said.

When asked about what he felt this current defense has improved on the most during this stretch run in 2012, Goodman was complimentary of his unit as well as all of the other defensive units, giving credit to all phases of the defense.

“There are so many areas that we have improved on, like stopping the run, being more effective on the quarterback, getting pressure, and in the secondary,” he said. “We have improved so much throughout the season.”

As far as his unit, the defensive line has improved greatly on their ability to get to opposing passers, wreaking havoc in opposing backfields in recent weeks. Goodman credits this improvement to the pass rush by the work in practice, and defensive ends coach Marion Hobby’s confidence in players’ ability to make plays.

“It is about being more confident,” Goodman said. “When you know it is pass, you have to go with your best move. We have been working on pass rush a lot more, it has been helping out a lot.”

Those plays seem to come in bunches now. Goodman says this due to the passion he and his fellow teammates are playing with. He said the momentum started with the first big play behind the line of scrimmage, propelling the defensive line to multiple other big plays.

“Once you get a sack, they tend to keep coming,” the senior said. “Once you get in that groove it is hard to slow it down. You just have to keep feeding off of everyone else.”