Clemson defense has stopped big plays, but huge challenge awaits
Clemson’s defense spent much of the past offseason working on not allowing big plays, something that plagued Brent Venables’ units at times over the past few years.
So far, so good, but the Tigers will get by far their toughest test of the season Saturday night.
Last season, Clemson finished No. 102 in the country in allowing plays of 20 yards or more, according to www.cfbstats.com. Through four games this season, the Tigers are ranked No. 3.
“To this point, we have not given up the amount of big plays that we had given up last year. Even though we finished in the top 10 defensively, we were near the bottom of the country in big plays allowed. People got a lot of big plays,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “Through four games, we’ve done a good job of minimizing that.”
Louisville will present a much bigger challenge than any of Clemson’s previous opponents.
The Cardinals are No. 1 in the nation in plays of 10 yards or more, 20 yards or more and 30 yards or more.
Clemson’s three previous FBS opponents are not in the top 25 in any of those categories.
“It is a nightmare to watch. It just makes you sick. It’s frightening to see those chunk plays happening,” Venables said of Louisville’s offense. “They do a good job of putting themselves in those one-on-one winnable situations.”
MIXING IT UP
Clemson’s struggles at times on offense this season could be due to it taking a while for the Tigers to adjust to what defenses are throwing at them.
Co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott said Clemson is having to adjust on the fly a lot because teams are playing the Tigers differently than they do other teams.
“Each defensive coordinator is a little bit different… They’re playing us different than what we see on video and how they’re playing everybody else,” Scott said. “Each week we’re kind of getting something different than what you prepared for. It’s our job as coaches to figure out what they’re doing and make adjustments.”
CHANCE FOR A STATEMENT
Clemson’s offensive stats are down slightly from 2015, but wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud is ready to prove that this Tigers unit is just as good as last year’s. He sees Saturday night as an opportunity to do so.
“I think we’re going to have a chip on our shoulder regardless because of the way we’re being talked about right now – ‘The offense isn’t as good as last year,’ and we’re not as explosive as last year and this and that,” he said.
This story was originally published September 29, 2016 at 9:11 PM with the headline "Clemson defense has stopped big plays, but huge challenge awaits."