DURHAM, N.C. — The storylines from 2022 rang true again in Clemson’s upset loss to Duke 28-7. Offensive struggles while the defense holds on and eventually breaks under extensive pressure. Football is a team game, you’ll hear it time and time again, and the Tigers only showed up in one phase.

In defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin’s second year at the helm, Clemson’s defense came out and stifled the attack of quarterback Riley Leonard and the imposing Blue Devil attack. Through three quarters, the Tigers surrendered just 13 points and kept their struggling offense in the game. Self-inflicted mistakes were the story of the game, and linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. feels like Clemson lost to themselves.

“I just felt like we kind of lost to Clemson today,” Trotter said. “Duke is a great team, they have really good execution. I mean, we just got to watch the film and get back to it on defense and make sure that we get the ball back to the offense in, those critical scenarios. Get off the field quick, three-and-outs and just make sure we just watch the film and get better from it.”

For Trotter, who’s seen the highs and lows throughout his first two years as a Tiger, it’s a maturity he’s built over years to keep his head high and not get frustrated. Four scoreless red zone trips, including two wasted possessions after turnovers, and it’s easy to be frustrated with the offense like many fans are.

Trotter keeps his eyes forward, and it shows on the field. He was the leading tackler for Clemson with nine, adding two quarterback hits and a forced fumble in a performance from this defense that will be swept under the rug for eternity.

Until the fourth quarter, the big mistake that loomed was letting loose Leonard, who escaped some tackle attempts the Tigers would’ve liked to have back en route to a 44-yard score to kick off the second half. Goodwin was clearly focused on limiting these efforts, keeping Trotter and Barrett Carter back from rushing to deny any big play opportunity. He let his stars loose once, and it ended in a score.

“Right there, that was good execution by them,” Trotter said. “Just got to make sure we watch the film and see as far as like our gap fits, and our run fits, as far as making sure that doesn’t happen. But right there, it’s just, you know, making sure we’re in our right gaps so that we don’t get blasted off the middle right there.”

It’s not to give an excuse to this defense, but the offense has to show up at some point and it can’t just be the fourth quarter. They didn’t anyways for what it’s worth. Looking at the first three quarters, away from that mistake on Leonards’ score, Duke had just 15 carries for 71 yards.

That’s a number the Tigers would probably take and it didn’t matter. Trotter isn’t frustrated with his offense, and he’s focused on what he can control. That’s the defense and he gave an emphatic answer about any negative thoughts he could have in his offense.

“On the defense side, all our leaders, all our guys, we try to make sure that we just, I mean, we’re on the team to play defense,” Trotter said. “So, we got to get another stop then we got to get another stop. I mean, I love playing defense, we got to do what we got to do to help our team win and help get the offense the ball back.”

The offense has to figure itself out, and fast, but the defense has a lot to build off of. This performance came together without a single sack as well. There’s going to be panic around the other side of the ball, but Clemson has a strong defense under Goodwin that the Tigers can win with and Trotter is a polarizing image of what can be with this team.