By Will Vandervort.
When it comes to playing defense at Clemson the standard is high.
The standard was set in the 1980s when the Tigers were considered one of the more feared defenses in the country. Starting in 1981, Clemson posted at least one shutout in eight of the next 11 seasons.
Tiger defenses were consistently ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring, total, rush and pass defense almost every year.
“Our philosophy was we were going to play good defense, run the ball and be as physical as we could be,” former Clemson head coach Danny Ford said. “We knew if we did those things, we would give ourselves an opportunity to win every game.”
And they nearly did. Besides winning the 1981 national championship, the Tigers won six ACC Championships, were consistently ranked in the top 10 or top 20 and compiled a 100-24-5 record. That’s a win percentage of 75 percent.
No defense was better than the 1990 defense, however. That season, Clemson posted three shutout victories over Long Beach State (59-0), Appalachian State (48-0) and Illinois (30-0) in the Hall of Fame Bowl.
They led the nation in total defense, yielding just 219.2 yards per game, while opponents averaged just 9.1 points per contest. They even scored on a few occasions as they returned four interceptions and two fumbles for a total of six touchdowns.
“Our mindset was no one was going to score on us,” said former Clemson great and linebacker Levon Kirkland, who played on that 1990 unit.
That’s the same mindset the current Clemson defense is going by, which is one reason it reminds so many Tiger fans of those great defenses from 1980s and early ‘90s.
They certainly looked that way in last week’s dominating 41-0 victory over NC State. The Tigers held the Wolfpack to 154 total yards – 352 yards below what was their season average. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett was sacked three times, fumbled twice and completed just 4 of 18 passes for 35 yards.
“We are just starting to hit are stride and then we are going to see where we end up at the end of the season,” defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said.
If the Tigers are just now starting to hit their stride then offenses in the ACC should take notice.
Since being steamrolled by Georgia and Heisman candidate Todd Gurley in the season opener, Clemson has bounced back to hold their last four opponents to a total of 223 rushing yards. That’s an average of 55.8 yards per game.
“We know we have the bodies to go up against anyone in the run game,” Jarrett said. “It’s good to have that kind of confidence.”
In those same four games, the Tigers have given up an average of 248.3 total yards and 16.3 points per game. Actually seven points was given up the offense in the win over S.C. State. If it was not for Kurt Fleming’s fumble in the S.C. State game, which was returned for a touchdown, the defense would have two shutouts to its credit already this season.
“They’re playing well. They’re right where I hoped they would be at this point,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “They really only had one bad quarter all year. They’ve had a few bad plays here and there, but we’ve had one bad quarter in five games, so they’re very focused on being great.
“(The shutout) was a huge step for us this past week. NC State was leading this league in total offense and second in scoring and scoring over 40 points a game and had over 500 yards on Florida State. For us to be able to hold them to 154 yards, it was just great preparation by our guys.”
It was also an attitude. It’s an attitude that nobody can score on them if they are focused and play their best.
“When you are confident, you know you are going to play better,” Jarrett said. “You know your job and you know what it takes to get the job done. Then you just go and start having fun. Knowing your job and doing your job is what brings you confidence.”
And right now, few defenses are as confident about shutting down an opponent as Clemson.
“We are expecting to win the game and we are expecting to dominate. We are not wishing and hoping for it to happen,” Jarrett said. “We prepare and put the work in so when the time does come, we will be ready.”