Though some of the younger fans might not remember, or even know it, but Clemson is known more for its great defenses over the years than anything it has done on offense.
On nearly every one of Clemson’s greatest teams, it was its defense that carried the squad.
The Clemson Insider went through its archives to find the best defensive football teams in Clemson history.
What are the criteria for the 10 best defenses in Clemson history? Obviously, yards and points allowed per game will stand out as will playmakers and rushing yards allowed per game and per rush. How many All-ACC or All-Americans were on the team, where were they ranked in the ACC, nationally, and much more goes into our decision.
Today, we continue our list with what TCI believes is the No. 9 best defense in Clemson history.
1988
In 1988, Clemson won its third straight ACC Championship and then went on to beat No. 10 Oklahoma in the Florida Citrus Bowl on January 1, 1989. The Tigers finished the season ranked in the top 10 of all three major polls, including a No. 9 ranking in the final Associated Press Poll.
Again, a big reason for the Tigers’ success was a top 10 nationally ranked defense that held its opposition to 277.4 yards and 13.1 points per game. Clemson was once again among the best in the country in terms of yards allowed per game, rushing defense, yards per play, scoring defense and passing defense. They also forced 34 turnovers, including 19 fumble recoveries.
Only five of Clemson 12 opponents made it over 300 yards of total offense that season and no one had more than 383 yards in a game.
Guys like Ed McDaniel, Jesse Hatcher, Doug Brewster, Levon Kirkland, James Lott, Mark Drag, Richard McCullough and Consensus First-Team All-American Donnell Woolford led the way for a unit that held six opponents to six points or less. In all, five players—Woolford, Drag, Hatcher, Lott and McCullough earned all ACC honors in 1988.
Some of the Tigers best games came against the country’s best offenses. They held Virginia’s offense, which had one of the more explosive quarterbacks in the country in Shawn Moore, to 280 total yards. Moore completed just 10 of 23 passes for 85 yards in a 10-7 Clemson victory in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The following week against Duke, Steve Spurrier brought his fun-and-gun offense into Death Valley, along with a No. 22 national ranking. But by the time the Clemson defense was done with them, the Blue Devils were held to 54 yards rushing and 305 total yards in a 49-17 Clemson victory. Duke was averaging more than 400 yards and 30-plus points a game coming in.
Even in a loss the next week at NC State, the Tigers limited the 24th-ranked Wolfpack to 185 total yards, including just 47 on the ground, but a bad snap late in the fourth quarter that went over Chris Gardocki’s head and rolled inside the Clemson five, led to the game’s only touchdown as NC State won the game 10-3.
In the regular-season finale against No. 21 South Carolina, the Tigers got after USC’s Todd Ellis all afternoon, limiting the All-American quarterback to 11 of 30 passing for 141 yards in a 29-10 blowout in Death Valley. Ellis was sacked four times and harassed a bunch more as Clemson held the Gamecocks’ run-and-shoot offense to 257 total yards.
In the Citrus Bowl, Clemson’s defense became just the second unit to hold the Oklahoma Sooners’ offense without a touchdown in the entire decade of the 1980s in a 13-6 victory. In the process, the Tigers became the first team from the ACC to beat Oklahoma.
Clemson limited Oklahoma’s powerful wishbone to a season-low 116 yards on 43 carries. The Sooners came into the game averaging well over 300 yards a game on the ground. The Tigers held Oklahoma to 254 total yards.
–Above photo is of All-American cornerback Donnell Woolford from the 1988 game against Florida State (photo courtesy Clemson Athletic Communications)
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