Here's how Clemson football quickly fixed glaring weakness on defense
Clemson football patched the hole in its defense.
Pass coverage was a glaring weakness only a few games ago when Wake Forest picked on the cornerbacks in a 51-45 double-overtime win by the Tigers. Starter Sheridan Jones and Malcolm Greene were injured. Nate Wiggins and Fred Davis didn't appear up to the task. Toriano Pride Jr. and Jaedyn Lukus are just freshmen.
It got so thin that all-ACC safety Andrew Mukuba moved over to help.
Mukuba will likely be back in his normal position when No. 5 Clemson (6-0, 4-0 ACC) plays Saturday (7:30 p.m., ABC) at Florida State (4-2, 2-2). Jones is on the depth chart and would be playing in his first game since Sept. 19. Wiggins and Davis have improved dramatically. The freshmen are getting valuable experience. Pride started last week in a 31-3 win at Boston College.
"We've gotten better. We're playing better," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. "The past couple of weeks, we've played our best defensively. We've cleaned some things up on the back end. We were fortunate that we won the Wake Forest game. Some guys were embarrassed. … I think some guys have changed their practice habits a little bit. We've kind of grown some guys up."
"The trend is definitely upward on those guys," defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin added. "It's been a great two weeks. They're learning how to prepare, learning how to practice. Their hard work definitely showed up Saturday night. It's been good to see."
Wiggins, who sealed the Wake Forest win with a pass breakup in the end zone, had a key breakup against Boston College to keep the score 3-3 in the second quarter. On third-and-2 from the Clemson 28, wide receiver Jaden Williams had a step on Wiggins. But Wiggins caught up and made the play. The Eagles then failed on a fourth-down pass.
"That's a big-time play. He got double-moved. Just an unbelievable play," Goodwin said. "That play and the fourth-down stop right after that were pivotal plays in the game. Really created momentum."
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Wiggins has had a calmer presence since displaying his frustrations against Wake Forest.
"He's hard on himself," cornerbacks coach Mike Reed said. "It's one of those things were a kid who's been very competitive has never really been in that situation before because he's a first-time starter. Got the best of him a little bit because he wants to make plays."
Lukus has only played eight snaps in the past three games, but Pride has played 154 and got his first interception against NC State.
"Kids sit back and they count the guys in front of them," Reed said. They truly don't understand that they're literally one play away. ... It was a wake-up call (for Pride) and one that he was ready for. He's grown tremendously."
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: How Clemson football fixed glaring weakness on defense
