After experiencing so many secondary busts in back-to-back home losses to Duke and SMU, Clemson defensive coordinator Tom Allen decided to make some changes to how some things were being handled behind the scenes.

Instead of having the cornerbacks, safeties and nickelbacks meet in their own position meetings, Allen went to head coach Dabo Swinney and asked if they could move them all into one room.

“Basically just wanted all three groups, our safeties, our corners, our nickels, all to be in the same room together,” Allen said. “They had done that at times on some certain things but it felt like doing that all the time — that happened after the Duke game, been doing it ever since. Just really, truly making sure that there were zero communication issues. Everybody hearing the exact same thing on each one of the calls and what this guy, that guy is doing. We had done that at times, but we just wanted to wholesale, all meetings are that way.”

After allowing three passing plays of 40 yards or more across those two losses, the Tigers have allowed just one over the last three games and are giving up just 223 passing yards per contest over that stretch.

“It’s felt like that’s incrementally and systematically helped to be able to eliminate those busts. There’s obviously time involved, but at the same time, you get what you emphasize in that regard. That was an area we needed to address, so we did, and we’ve obviously seen some positive outcomes of that, for sure.”

Another change that was made was having his son, assistant Thomas Allen, oversee those meetings. While the younger Allen is still in the early stages of his coaching career, he does know his father’s scheme like the back of his hand. The younger Allen spent five years playing in his father’s defense while he was at Indiana and was on the staff at Penn State last season.

“Thomas Allen, who knows this system inside and out, he’s been the one overseeing those,” Allen said. “That way allows me to be with the linebackers where I really want to be. I have obviously been in and out of those meetings. But at the same time, it allows everybody to be on the same page with that and that way, you get that one voice. They obviously have their position coach for each one of those groups, but everybody hearing the same thing, all the checks and adjustments. It’s just really seemed to help a lot.”

Photo by Bart Boatwright