Members of Clemson’s coaching staff said going into last week that the open date was coming at a good time for the Tigers. One of the primary reasons for that belief was the extra rest it would allow some of the players still working their way back from injuries.

Two of them, Bryan Bresee and Xavier Thomas, are key pieces along Clemson’s defensive front. Defensive coordinator Wesley Goodwin said the bye week was a productive one for both linemen.

“I think it was a great week,” Goodwin said. “They got a lot of reps last week and were able to get back going in practice.”

Both players have been part of the game rotation the last couple of weeks but are still working to round back into top form. Bresee, the Tigers’ star defensive tackle, has been in and out of the lineup this season while dealing with the sudden death of his younger sister, Ella. He later missed his fourth game of the season against Boston College with a kidney infection that required him to be hospitalized.

As for Thomas, it’s been a gradual progression back to full strength for the senior rush specialist. He missed the first five games of the season recovering from surgery on his broken foot during the preseason before debuting with two sacks in just six snaps against the Eagles three games ago.

Thomas then played a season-high 32 snaps against Florida State before his snap count dipped to 14 against Syracuse in Clemson’s most recent game Oct. 22. He didn’t record any stats against the Orange. Bresee returned to the lineup with 22 snaps against FSU and logged 33 against Syracuse. He had one tackle and one sack in those two games.

As has been the case for the last few weeks, Goodwin says both players continue to be on a practice progression plan leading up to Saturday’s game against Notre Dame. Goodwin didn’t provide a specific answer when asked how soon he expects both to be back at peak physical performance, but the Tigers’ first-year coordinator said he’s encouraged by what he’s seen from Bresee and Thomas on the practice field.

“Just really good to see them get back going, gain more confidence in their technique, playing with pad level and all the basic fundamentals that we coach,” Goodwin said. “Hopefully we can continue to gain consistency up front with those guys back in the lineup.”

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