The offense kind of got the best of Clemson’s defense in the Tigers’ last scrimmage.
The running game averaged 7.8 yards per carry. There were runs of 55, 35 and 30 yards, plus quarterback Deshaun Watson found Trevion Thompson on a deep pass to open the scrimmage. According to Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, the offense also got the edge in the two-minute drill, red-zone and goal situations.
Is Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables worried about the results of the last scrimmage? Sure he is. He always worries, but he isn’t disappointed. The issue isn’t the fact the defense just isn’t good enough. That’s not the case at all.
The simple fact of the matter is they are just inexperienced and young in a lot of places. It also doesn’t help they’re playing against a very experienced offense, one that returns eight starters from a unit that was on the best in the country in 2015.
“A lot of guys are trying to gain experience,” said Venables, who has just four starters back from a unit that ranked 10th nationally a year ago.
Venables will have two starters at defensive end, plus two behind them that have very little experience. At linebacker he has to replace two starters, and though they’re in better shape than they were this time a year ago, all but two of those linebackers—Ben Boulware and Dorian O’Daniel—are either freshmen, redshirt freshmen or sophomores.
Then there is the secondary. The Tigers have to replace three starters there, and with the exception of Cordrea Tankersley, Venables has to do it with mostly freshmen and sophomores as well.
“I have a lot of guys that have not played a lot, and it shows at times,” Venables said. “Defense is trained reaction, and sometimes we are reacting a little bit too slow. We have to get them to a point where they can think and play fast. We are working on that.”
That is what the spring is for, to work on those things. And there are a lot of good signs that they are correcting those things and the defense will be okay.
Christian Wilkins, who had 84 tackles as a true freshman at defensive tackle last year, has moved out to the edge and has really done well. Austin Bryant and Clelin Ferrell have also had a good spring. In the middle of the defensive front, the Tigers are loaded with talent. True freshmen Dexter Lawrence and Nyles Pinckney have added to that depth, which has allowed Wilkins to help out at defensive end.
In the secondary, Swinney says the light has turned on for safety Jadar Johnson, who forced two fumbles in the scrimmage, while Mark Fields is proving he can handle the job at the other cornerback spot opposite Tankersley.
Then there is the linebacker positions where O’Daniel is set to be a star at the strongside position and Boulware is one of the best in the ACC on the weakside. In the middle, Kendall Joseph is 100 percent healthy and has taken ownership, while Chad Smith is bigger and stronger and is going to provide depth there.
But then there are the two five-star freshmen, who enrolled in January so they could practice this spring. Shaq Smith and Tre Lamar are both making an impact in practice.
“They are both good. We have seen some really good stuff that I have been really pleased with and then there are some mental mistakes,” Venables said. “There all things you would expect, but both are big, strong guys that like to play and like to be physical. They like to be coached so I have been pleased with them.”
So the offense has the upper hand a little right now, that’s to be expected. But, there is plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball. As these young players continue to gain experience and start trusting their eyes a little more, that 7.8 yards per carry average from Wednesday’s scrimmage will start to slowly go down.
“They are anticipating and reacting to what their keys are showing them,” Venables said. “Sometimes guys out there … paralysis by analysis when they have not been out there quite as much, and are not reacting on second nature to certain schemes or things of that nature.”