The pundits will say it was just Wake Forest and it doesn’t mean anything. And in a way, they have a good argument. But after the way Clemson’s defense played in the Carrier Dome the week before, even giving up a meaningless touchdown late in the fourth quarter did not damper the mood of defensive coordinator Brent Venables following the Tigers’, 33-13, victory over Wake Forest on Saturday.
“I thought it was very pretty,” he said afterwards. “It was great the whole game. I was happy.”
After Venables called his unit out earlier in the week, the defense on the nation’s top-ranked team played more like the one that shut out Miami nearly a month ago, while holding the Hurricanes to 149 total yards. Wake Forest isn’t a great offensive juggernaut by no stretch, but this was the same offensive unit that went into South Bend last weekend and put up 340 yards on Notre Dame. This is the same offense that totaled 357 yards against Florida State.
“That was the same offense that had about four hundred on the road last week so it was a good performance. It was clean, it was disciplined,” Venables said. “We had a great week of preparation. I thought we respected the game. We showed some humility in our preparation and then I thought they went out and played with a great focus and really played well.”
Clemson held the Demon Deacons to just 152 total yards – their second lowest output of the season. Their 39 rushing yards were also their second lowest total as they averaged just 2.5 yards per play.
“They took away like everything. I was very happy. I’m not beating my chest, but I don’t want anybody to take anything away from it either,” Venables said. “It is hard in modern day football … that staff right there, they have moved the ball on everybody, nickel and dime it and possess it.
“We played clean. I was just very pleased with the positioning, discipline and really the consistency. I love the focus. I thought it was a good strong performance. It was just what we needed.”
It was. Clemson had played soft somewhat the previous three games, especially in defending the run. Against NC State, Florida State and Syracuse, the defense was gashed in the running game, as each team broke of at least one run of 51 or more yards.
The Tigers had given up 574 yards on the ground in those three games. But against Wake Forest, there was none of that. They were aggressive. They were attacking and played sound fundamental football for all four quarters.
The Demon Deacons averaged just 1.2 yards per carry on Saturday.
“It was good to see us being back to who we are,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “We looked like the fifth-ranked total defense in the country out there playing. We stopped the run. When we can take the run away from people it makes it a long day.
“I’m really proud of our guys for how they competed. We were sound and disciplined.”
Clemson finished the game with 10 three-and-outs and 13 tackles for loss, including five sacks.
“We played a lot of guys and as we got other guys in the game, they continued to play well. That was really good to see,” Swinney said.
And now with an undefeated season on the line and a possible berth in the College Football Playoffs at stake, the Tigers’ defense cannot pick a better time to get back on track.
Top-ranked Clemson travels to South Carolina this Saturday to renew the nation’s second-longest continuous rivalry, and the second oldest one in the South.
Like Wake Forest, the Gamecocks are not very good on offense. They rank 101st in the country in total offense, averaging just 358.5 yards per game. They are also coming off a 23-22 loss to The Citadel.
But it doesn’t mean the Tigers should chalk it up as a win, and it doesn’t mean the defense should disrespect the game and lose focus like it did at Syracuse. The goal this week will be same as last week –play clean, play with the positioning, play disciplined and be consistent.
“These games are always emotional and anything can happen regardless whatever happened (against The Citadel). I did not know that, but they have good players, they are tough and they have good coaches so it is something we are really looking forward to,” Venables said.
And if the defense can shut the Gamecocks down like it did Wake Forest, then it might mean the defense is back to its old ways, no matter what the pundits might say.