A pair of former Clemson defenders combined on a big play for their NFL team in its Week 1 victory.

In Sunday’s game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cincinnati Bengals, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield was sacked by former Clemson linebacker Barrett Carter and former Clemson defensive end Myles Murphy, resulting in a scoop-and-score that gave the Bengals a 7-3 lead in the first quarter of their eventual 33-27 home win.

Carter and Murphy swarmed and sacked Mayfield, blowing up the play and knocking the ball loose, leading to Demetrius Knight scooping up the ball at the 27-yard line and running up the sideline into the end zone for his first NFL TD.

Carter was credited with eight tackles (five solo), one tackle for loss, the half-sack and one quarterback hit in the contest, while Murphy registered two tackles (one solo), the half-sack and a quarterback hit.

Former Clemson defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence chipped in with a QB hit for Cincinnati, while former Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins tallied three catches for 59 yards for the Bengals.

A two-time All-American, two-time All-ACC honoree and 2024 Butkus Award finalist, Carter was selected 119th overall in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Bengals and is now in his second NFL campaign.

After earning freshman All-American honors (2020), a second-team All-ACC selection (2021) and a first-team All-ACC nod (2022), Murphy was selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft with the No. 28 overall pick and is now in his fourth NFL season.