Can this year’s defense be as mature as last year’s?
By: will-vandervort August 1, 2015

Brent Venables isn’t worried about ability or lack of talent when he gets ahold of his 2015 defense on Tuesday for the start of fall camp. He knows they are talented. What he is concerned about is the one thing that made his defense so good at Clemson in 2014 … will this year’s unit be as mature as that one was?

Clemson led the nation in 11 defensive categories last year and a big reason why was due to the guys who were leading the way. Yes, Vic Beasley was an All-American defensive end that was picked in the first round of the NFL Draft, but he also had a great grasp of the defense and understood his role.

Yes, Stephone Anthony was a First-Team All-ACC linebacker and first-round draft pick, but he was a heck of a team leader and knew all the right ways to line his defensive front up so he could make plays.

Yes, Grady Jarrett was a First-Team All-ACC tackle, who spent more time in the offensive backfield than most quarterbacks, but no one had more respect and admiration in the locker room than he did.

“The mental things, the group of mature men that left, that is what you hope some of these guys coming back latched onto,” Venables said. “You hope they take on that selfless type of attitude that they had.

“I’m not acting like they were all a bunch of choirboys … Them boys met a standard day in and day out.”

That standard included playing with a ferocious mindset that no one they played against could move the football or score on them. Not only did Clemson lead the nation in total defense, passing defense and yards per play, but in those moments when they had to think fast and make a play, nobody in the country was better.

According to ESPN’s David Hale,

“The byproduct of that was having 40 or something wins the last four years, but also, in being No. 1, you don’t just anoint yourself, you have to earn it, fight for it and you have to protect it. Those guys did it. They took it on their shoulders,” Venables said. “It was a personal vendetta to that group of guys, and you love standing back and watching that happen.”

With the offense suffering through some difficult injuries last season, especially in the month of October, the Clemson defense really stepped up to the plate when it was needed the most. In those four weekends, The Tigers allowed 9.0 points and 213 yards per game. Opponents averaged just 10.8 first downs in the four games and were 9 of 61 on third down conversions.

“At mid-season it was not cool to see. It was really cool to see when we were done,” Venables said.

Especially after Venables’ defense beatdown his old employer in the Russell Athletic Bowl.

“Whipping Oklahoma … Then you could say, ‘Great job fellas! That was nice. Nice work,’” he said.

Venables says he does not have a bunch of “Ham-and-eggers” or “Jimmy Green beans” on this year’s defense that the coaches will just plug in the place of Beasley, Jarrett and Anthony, instead they will plug in guys like Shaq Lawson, D.J. Reader and Ben Boulware.

“I think being the best is something that we were excited about last year,” Reader said. “We really know what it takes to get there. We’re just excited to really go to work and get back there again this year.”

In other words, that mature mentality might already be in place.