Improved pass defense has been the catalyst for Clemson's late-season flourish, hopes for future
COLUMBIA – The secret to Clemson football’s late-season success is really no secret at all.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney emphasized prior to the season that an improved pass defense would be imperative for the Tigers to go where they wanted to go in 2023.
They aren't headed to their destination of their dreams – the College Football Playoff and National Championship Game – but considering that the Tigers were sitting there at .500 on Halloween and headed nowhere, they will cruise into December on a roll.
A good portion of their regular season-ending four-game winning streak is attributable to a pass defense that has fairly shined against some of the country’s best quarterbacks.
The latest performance in that regard came Saturday night in a 16-7 victory against South Carolina and quarterback Spencer Rattler, who torched the Tigers for 360 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-30 upset victory that ousted Clemson from CFP consideration last season.
It was a much different story Saturday night in Columbia and a continuation of a recent trend of outstanding pass defense.
“It has not been an easy November, that’s for sure – we’ve seen some guys,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.
Those guys included, in order, Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman, Georgia Tech’s Haynes King, ACC preseason Player of the Year Drake Maye of North Carolina and now Rattler.
Clemson held each of those quarterbacks to a completion rate of 50% or below, with Rattler being the latest. Rattler, who entered the game ranked eighth nationally with better than a 70% completion rate, completed only 16 of 32 passes Saturday night, was held to a season-low 112 passing yards and a 79.3 pass efficiency rating – the lowest of any start of his career.
Clemson leads the nation in opponent passer rating in November, which goes a long way toward explaining the Tigers’ 4-0 record since Nov. 4.
In a college game that is dominated by successful passing attacks more than ever, it’s imperative that teams possess strong pass defenses to keep pace. Clemson has managed to accomplish that by blending some youthful talent with some of the old.
Freshman Khalil Barnes has been nothing short of a revelation and continued to show his abilities with a 42-yard fumble return for a touchdown and an interception on the Gamecocks’ second and third plays from scrimmage.
“He can play strong (safety), free (safety), he can play nickel,” Swinney said. “That’s very hard for a freshman.”
Fellow freshman Avieon Terrell has been scary good while earning a starting role at cornerback.
“We’re so much better in pass defense compared to where we were last year it’s not even funny,” Swinney said. “Guys are competitive on the ball, especially some of these young guys. We’ve had 11 takeaways in four games against really good teams.”
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The Tigers had four interceptions in a win against North Carolina two weeks ago; all four were made by freshmen or redshirt freshmen.
That injection of youth into the Tigers’ defense is one of the primary reasons the team has gone from 4-4 to 8-4 and perhaps headed to a sunny clime late next month.
That’s a far cry from where the team appeared to be headed in October and will be enough to send the Tigers into the offseason with plenty of optimism, particularly if they continue their ball-hawking ways in a bowl game.
Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at skeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @ScottKeepfer
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson football's future bright thanks to fresh faces in pass defense
