Clemson defense gains back lost respect

by Nikki Hood - Staff Writer - Sun Sep 02 10:22:57 GMT-04:00 2012

ATLANTA, GA - The Clemson defense was determined to regain the respect that they lost in January.

Following the Orange Bowl debacle, the Clemson defense lacked the respect that they felt they deserved and they were determined to prove themselves.

That’s just what they did Saturday night in the Georgia dome, allowing Auburn just one touchdown in Clemson’s 26-19 victory in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic, a game that saw the Clemson defense bend several times, but only allowed the opposing Tigers the one touchdown.

New defensive coordinator Brent VenablesBrent Venables
Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers
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“The last couple of weeks [we talked about it], just so it’s on everybody’s mind, people don’t think too much of us,” Venables said. “We’ve got a lot to prove as a program, certainly as a defense- all of us. I think [the players] really took ownership of that”

Holding Auburn to one touchdown despite giving up some big plays says a lot about Venables’ defense.

“We made a lot of good plays down the stretch in that second half,” Venables said. “They were really tough on both third and the one fourth-down. They were both huge plays. We responded to some adversity in a big-time way. Holding them out of the end zone and holding the team in the opener to one touchdown, it says a lot about our guys.”

Venables said that he is proud of the toughness that his defense showed, along with the ability to make adjustments.

“Very proud that all of our guys showed toughness, the bite-down mentality they had coming back in the second half,” Venables said. “Our guys, I appreciate their focus. Every series, they had to make adjustments. I have to compliment Auburn and their staff - these openers are always difficult. It was hard to get a real DNA on them offensively and their personnel. But again, I just love our guys. We made a lot of big plays down the stretch in that second half. We responded to some adversity in a big-time way, holding them to one touchdown."

Clemson gave up 192 yards on 27 plays in the first half- mainly on long runs to the outside and Emory Blake’s long touchdown catch- and during the intermission Venables changed things up to try and throw Auburn off of their game.

“Halftime, we changed some things, based on what they were doing,” Venables said. “What we were doing obviously was not working. In the second half, we did some things to throw them off balance. Fortunately it worked. They popped some runs on us. But we'll get better. Our guys, they owned it. They'll have to take responsibility for it and they will."

Clemson’s defense was especially stingy in the red zone – Auburn ran nine plays in that portion of the field and finished with six passes for minus-5 yards, two runs for minus-1 yard and one holding call.

“At the end of the day, scoring defense is what it’s about,” Venables said. “There’s nothing more important. I think it is obvious how that game would have gone if we gave up touchdowns, instead of field goals.”

Despite giving up just one touchdown Venables said that there is a lot of room for improvement.

“Let's face it, we've got work to do obviously,” Venables said. “There is a lot of room for improvement. We've got to be a lot more consistent. But we knew it wasn't going to be easy.”