Carter says Clemson's defense is made of the right stuff, but has to execute

Carter says the Tigers have to tackle better and stay gap sound.

David Hood - Senior Writer - Saturday, November 09 2024

CLEMSON - Senior linebacker Barrett Carter says the Clemson defense is made of the right stuff, and they get to show that this afternoon in Lane Stadium.

The Tigers take on Virginia Tech later today (3:30 pm, ESPN) in Blacksburg. If Clemson (6-2, 5-1 ACC) wants to walk away with a victory over the Hokies, the defense will have to play better than it did against Louisville last weekend.

Carter said he believes in his teammates.

“I know these guys like the back of my hand, so I know we’re made of the right stuff,” Carter said. “We’ve been thrown in the ringer and came out swinging, so we know we have the right guys to be a really good defense.”

Clemson ranks 59th (140.0 yds/gm) against the run and 95th in yards per carry allowed (4.61). However, the Cardinals averaged 7.9 yards per carry against the defense. Carter said it was a tough loss to swallow, especially since it was in Death Valley.

“Any loss you take is tough, especially losing our stadium. Those always hurt,” he said. “It hurt a lot for sure, and walking off that field just didn't even feel real, to be honest. But like I said, all we can focus on now is Virginia Tech and responding, coming out with a win in Blacksburg.”

Carter said he believes the defense is better than its shown.

“At the end of the day, that's what we failed to do. We haven't played like a Clemson defense should play this whole year, but I know there's still time for us to show that we can be elite and we can be up there with the best of them,” he said. “I know we have the right guys in the locker room who work so hard every single day and put so much into it every day. So I have no doubt that we'll be okay. We'll be good.”

What were the issues against the Cardinals? The same issues that have plagued the defense all season.

“I would say tackling. There were a few missed tackles. Guys just need to stay gap sound, leverage the football, and just staying backside, too. We saw that in that reverse,” Carter said. “But I would just say just the missed tackles and staying gap sound were the two main things and we failed to do that on Saturday. Coach (Wes Goodwin) had a great scheme for us, and at the end of the day, players have to execute that scheme and make plays and we just failed to do that. And I tip my cap to Louisville, they came in just they dominated us. But I would say misfits and missed tackles were the main issues.”