Bryan Bresee: A freshman in name only

Bresee is held on almost every play. (Photo courtesy ACC)

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Fri Oct 30 11:01:03 GMT-04:00 2020

The Clemson defense was without veteran defensive tackles Tyler Davis and Jordan Williams in the win over Syracuse last week, and Davis will likely be sidelined again this week as the coaches try to get him healthy for the trip to Notre Dame. Ready to step in is Bryan Bresee.

Head coach Dabo Swinney told the media earlier this week that the good news is that several of the younger players have received extensive playing time, and he mentioned that Bresee has played in six games and is no longer a freshman.

The talented Bresee has played in all six games and has registered 190 snaps, good for sixth on the team. He has 12 total tackles, two sacks, and has been given credit for breaking up two passes. In last week’s win over Syracuse, he helped linebacker Mike Jones force a fumble that led to a scoop-and-score for cornerback Andrew Booth.

"Mike Jones did a great job of blitzing off the edge and holding the quarterback. I know he wishes he probably was the one to get him down, but I think it all worked out,” Bresee said. “I was at nose and was working around, and I saw Mike holding on, holding on, and he wasn't letting go, so when I got around the edge, I saw the quarterback.

“I think he thought he was able to break free so he kind of pulled the ball back out to try to throw it, and I got there right at the perfect time to knock the ball loose. And when I went down, I saw the ball land next to me, and I saw no linemen coming, so I tried to punch it out. Andrew Booth was right there to pick it up and take it to the house."

Bresee said there are times he still feels like a freshman, but the playing time has helped establish a firm base.

“Since my first game, I’ve gotten a real feel for what college football is like,” Bresee said. “There’s still a lot of stuff to learn that’s still new to me, but I’d like to think I’m starting to get my feet under myself now. I feel like I've done a pretty good job learning everything and I still lave a lot of work to do with my technique, pad level, a lot of stuff, but from the first couple of games play-wise learning what I've had to do, I think that's the main thing I've done pretty well just knowing what I have to do, learning different packages, different positions, I think I've done a pretty good job with all of that stuff."

The additional time spent with the coaches on Zoom calls during the COVID lockdown has paid additional dividends.

“It actually helped me a lot in spring when I was here and really didn’t know anything,” said Bresee. “We would meet all the time in the spring over Zoom and just watch film or whatever we could do like putting in new plays coach Venables was working on at home. It slowed everything down for me as well.

“It wasn’t like I was learning a bunch of new stuff and had to go do it that day. It helped me a lot when we all came back and were doing practices and going over plays.”

He then said he doesn’t feel additional pressure to make up for the loss of the veterans.

"We're all very well-prepared. I mean, we definitely wish we had those guys,” Bresee said. “We all prepare like we're going to be 'the guy' that week. I think we're all prepared to step up into whatever role we need to."