Dabo Swinney's defense helps Tigers win Stanford

CLEMSON – Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney had mixed feelings about his defense Saturday.

The Tigers (3-1, 2-0 ACC) defeated Stanford (2-2, 1-1) 40-14 at Memorial Stadium, but their defense gave up 230 yards, including 168 rushing yards, a 5-1. The 10 score equated to third downs and allowed the Cardinal offense to enter its territory three times.

“Defensively, really terrible in the first half. Just really bad,” Swinney said. “They had a few things we weren’t prepared for.”

Still, Swinney was thrilled with his team’s performance in red zone defense, entering Saturday tied for 99th in that category. Stanford went 1-for-4 in the red zone and didn’t score a touchdown until the end of the second quarter.

Cornerbacks Avieon Terrell and Jeadyn Lukus each recorded an interception on consecutive Stanford red zone possessions in the first quarter, and the Tigers’ defense forced a turnover on red zone downs in the third quarter.

Clemson held Stanford scoreless in the red zone on three of its four possessions for the first time since the 2022 ACC Championship Game. Clemson’s defense neither gave up nor collapsed; It made crucial plays to stop the West Coast team.

“Seeing our defense make those plays will give them a lot of confidence,” Swinney said. “If you just do your job (in the red zone), it shouldn’t be hard because it’s a small field and you don’t have a lot of room to stretch the field.”

Defense was crucial as Stanford stifled the Tigers’ offense. Clemson scored a touchdown and a field goal on its first two drives, then hit two punts and committed a turnover on its next three drives. It scored a field goal early in the second half and hit two punts again on subsequent drives. While the Tigers’ offense kept Stanford in check, their defense did not allow the Cardinals to capitalize on those stops.

With their offense facing adversity for the first time since Week 1 against Georgia, Saturday’s game was a reminder that the Tigers have one of the best defenses in the country. Despite giving up a ton of yards, their starting unit only allowed one touchdown and shut down Stanford’s offense in the second half.

Clemson’s defense recorded three interceptions, forced turnovers on downs and recorded four sacks, yielding its fewest points of the season. In the first four games they have not allowed a score in the first quarter and are holding their opponents to 8.3 points in the first half. Even without defensive lineman Peter Woods, the Tigers’ defense has been the team’s strength this season.

“Three takeaways are legitimate. You don’t do that every game,” Clemson freshman linebacker Sammy Brown said.

MORE: Clemson football’s Cade Klubnik looks like his old self despite 5 touchdowns and more overreactions against Stanford

Swinney’s frustration in the first half came from the defense’s inability to stop the run. It has allowed an average of 183.3 rushing yards through four games, and Stanford managed 236 rushing yards on Saturday.

It was the fourth straight game in which Clemson gave up more than 140 yards. Cardinal quarterback Ashton Daniels and running back Micah Ford shredded Clemson’s defense with option run plays, but the Tigers adjusted to Stanford’s run scheme and held 68 yards rushing in the second half.

“We knew we were going to get a lot of quarterback run game, but they did a good job with their game plan in the first half,” Swinney said.

Clemson’s defensive play gave its offense enough time to wake up and score points in the second half. Despite completing 48% of his passes, Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik had five total touchdowns (one rushing), three of them in the final two quarters.

Clemson showed Saturday that its defense will be there to limit teams to few or no points when their offense is in trouble. His defense isn’t perfect, but he has the ability to make crucial plays to influence the outcome of a game.

Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00

Dabo Swinney’s defense helps Tigers win Stanford

ByJasper

By Jasper

Related Post

TCU 38-27 Kansas (September 28, 2024) Game Recap

Any airline signed up to Starlink for inflight WiFi

10 North Carolinians Dead, Hundreds Rescued from Helene, Gov. Cooper Says

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You missed

TCU 38-27 Kansas (September 28, 2024) Game Recap

Any airline signed up to Starlink for inflight WiFi

10 North Carolinians Dead, Hundreds Rescued from Helene, Gov. Cooper Says

Seminoles blown out in lifeless loss