CLEMSON – Though there were no glaring beacons of success in Clemson’s 51-10 loss to LSU at Tiger Stadium last Saturday, the Tigers’ secondary showed flashes of improvement.

Last season, the first under defensive coordinator Tom Allen, Clemson fervently struggled to shut down airborne offenses, giving up 26 passing plays of at least 40 yards, the most of any ACC team.

In the offseason, Allen, head coach Dabo Swinney and other staff members brought in several transfer defensive backs to stifle obvious secondary issues. And though the Tigers allowed 335 passing yards and two touchdowns through the air in the loss to LSU, Swinney believes the new defensive backs were a bright spot.

“I think we got a really good group,” Swinney said. “I think they got a chance to be really really good. I think there were some bright spots embedded in the disappointment and I think our secondary is a bright spot. I think Elliott (Washington) really showed he’s going to be a good one. We know what Ashton (Hampton) is. We gained some knowledge coming out of it with those guys, seeing them for the first time.”

One of the players Swinney mentioned, cornerback Elliott Washington, finished with seven tackles and a team-high two pass breakups – fitting for the player who generated the most turnovers in spring and fall practices, according to Allen. Washington played three seasons at Penn State, including one under Allen, before joining the Tigers this season.

In the months leading up to the season, the Sarasota., Fla., native was praised for his speed and intensity.

On the other side, corner Ashton Hampton was the obvious bright spot of the night, catching his first interception in over a year on the second play of the game. Ultimately, that play gave Clemson’s offense some of the best field position it saw all night. His interception led the Tigers to an early field goal, the only time they would score until the fourth quarter.

Hampton was not credited with any more breakups or tackles throughout the rest of the game, but transfer safeties Jerome Carter and Corey Myrick finished with 11 and 10 tackles, respectively, which led the team. While these elevated tackle numbers could be a concern for the Tigers’ front line of defense, those transfers showcased some of the most grit on the field, according to Swinney.

“Myrick, you know, he’s physical,” Swinney said. “A couple missed tackles, but I thought, I thought it wasn’t too big for him,” he continued. “He’s a physical kid and man, I thought Jerome Carter, really showed some stuff as well. I mean, it’s a good group.”

Ronan Hanafin, who is listed as a co-starter at safety on the depth chart, as well as nickelback Corian Gipson, also combined for 13 tackles. The defensive backs combined for over half of the team’s 96 tackles as a unit.

Swinney also took the opportunity to highlight the Tigers’ wide receivers, who have played against the defensive backs every day in practice, as another bright spot on the team.

“I thought our wide outs were a really bright spot,” Swinney said. “You’re not going to see a bunch of stateline stuff, but I thought they really bought into how you got to play without the ball. And so I was really encouraged by that. So there were some things that we can build upon.”

Though the numbers may not show it, with only 12 passes going to wide receivers for 105 yards, five of the seven wide receivers caught every pass thrown their way, and every wideout that caught a pass had at least an additional yard after the catch. Sophomore Juju Preston led the charge in that way with a 25-yard reception, the longest of the night.

The only other explosive play was a 22-yard pass from quarterback Christopher Vizzina to junior wideout Bryant Wesco Jr.

Wide receiver play, as well as defensive back play, will be highly important as the Tigers look to improve upon the loss and stagnant offense on Saturday, when they take on Georgia Southern at Memorial Stadium.