Message received: Clemson defense back on track after talk with Brent Venables
Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables made it clear after last week’s scrimmage that he was not happy with his unit’s intensity or leadership.
Defensive end Austin Bryant does not expect those issues to be a problem for the rest of the spring.
Bryant said following Wednesday’s practice that the defensive line and defense as a whole received a wake-up call after meeting with Venables last week. The defense ran sprints following the scrimmage on March 28 before Venables delivered a stern message.
“He just kept it real with us, told us the bad, told us the little good that we had and basically left it upon the leaders to make sure it’s corrected and put it on each guy to take responsibility of what they did and own up to what they need to do better in order to make the unit better,” Bryant said. “I think with the guys we have on this team, talks like that really resonate well because we have the type of guys that are going to respond the right way.”
Clemson returns eight starters from one of the best defenses in the country in 2017, including its entire defensive line, which is why it was a surprise when Venables was so unhappy with his unit last week.
“We just gotta be better leaders at every level on the defensive line, linebackers and the back seven,” Bryant said. “Just gotta be better leaders, be more discipline. That’s gotten us in trouble some plays, just being disciplined and doing our job. So I think we get that corrected, we’ll be fine.”
PRACTICE OBSERVATIONS
The media was allowed to watch the first 30 minutes of Wednesday’s practice, which included the Oklahoma drill.
Freshman defensive tackle Josh Belk stole the show, easily handling five-star offensive lineman and fellow freshman Jackson Carman.
The two faced off twice in the Oklahoma drill and Belk easily handled Carman both times.
Belk still has a way to go as far as learning the playbook, according to Tigers coach Dabo Swinney, but his natural talent is apparent.
“When it’s just low man wins and leverage he’s pretty good. He gets his hands on you, he’s strong, he can move people,” Swinney said. “You weigh him down with all the scheme and alignments and all them details that really kind of matter, he’s a freshman. So he’s going to be a good one. He’s got all the good stuff, all the tools, but we’ve got a lot of work to do there as far as getting him to where he can be an every-down player.”
In another one-on-one matchup, center Gage Cervenka got the best of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins and talked a little smack afterwards. Wilkins then easily handled Cervenka minutes later and had a few choice words for the veteran offensive lineman.
All four quarterbacks threw the ball well, despite the windy conditions, with each taking turns going through drills first.
TIGHT END PROGRESSING
Freshman tight end Braden Galloway is progressing nicely after having foot surgery in the offseason.
The former Seneca star had to have a screw inserted into his foot prior to the start of spring practice but is getting increasingly involved at practice.
Swinney said that he is not behind mentally because he has been to all of the meetings and practices, and he still has a little ways to go physically.
“We need to get his butt in that weight room where we can cut him loose and he can start doing the lower body lift and things like that. He’s got a good foundation. We’re excited about him,” Swinney said. “I just need to see him do a little bit more than run routes on air. He was in a green jersey today, but I know he was excited to just get out there and get going with his teammates.”
This story was originally published April 4, 2018 at 10:14 PM with the headline "Message received: Clemson defense back on track after talk with Brent Venables."