Clemson defense looks to build on "great starting point" from opener

Skalski, right, enjoyed the game but not the result.

by Zachary Wagner - Correspondent - Mon Sep 06 19:00:07 GMT-04:00 2021

There weren’t very many bright spots in the Clemson football team's season-opening 10-3 loss to Georgia last Saturday in Charlotte. One that did come about was the reemergence of the Clemson defense, showing everyone just who they were after the bad taste left by the Sugar Bowl loss to Ohio State last season.

The Clemson defense held Georgia to 256 total offensive yards and the talented trio of running backs to 121 yards on the ground within that. After giving up 600+ yards to Ohio State and Justin Fields in the playoff loss, Brent Venables and his defense showed up when it mattered most.

Tigers’ sixth-year senior linebacker James Skalski racked up 14 total tackles in the game while playing through injury that forced him out of the game twice. The Georgia native said it was great to get back and play in a full stadium and play some football.

“It was awesome, obviously we lost, but I still had a ton of fun,” Skalski told the media on Monday. “I thought the defense played very well and it was a great game. We’re obviously disappointed but there’s a lot in front of us.”

Skalski said it’s been a while since they played like that and it was good to see “Clemson football” back.

“Maybe the National Championship in 2018-19,” Skalski said when asked when the last time the defense played like that against a quality opponent. “Coach V told us he was proud of us after the game and yesterday. Before the Georgia game, we had a pretty rough showing against Ohio State. We weren’t physical and we didn’t play Clemson football. I think we were just happy we played Clemson football again on Saturday night.”

“We played mean and physical and it got nasty in the trenches,” Skalski said. “That’s how we like it”

It’s not a secret that the offense didn't live up to that Clemson standard Skalski mentioned. The offense mustered just two yards of rushing and three total points, the same amount of points the Tigers defense allowed inside of Bank of America Stadium. Skalski said the defense isn’t mad at the offense and it’s a team-first mentality.

“All we can do is control what we can control on defense and we’re going to go out there and keep putting our best foot forward,” said Skalski. “We’re a team too, it’s not ‘Oh they didn’t do that and we did this,’ it’s not like that at all. We’re in this together. Yeah, we played good, but there’s seven or eight plays where we have to play better and we could have changed the game from our standpoint.”

“I was never frustrated and I enjoyed every second of the game,” Skalski said. “I thought it was a great game and we had our chances, and just didn’t take them. Props to Georgia because they did.”

It was also a solid first outing for Clemson sophomore Myles Murphy, who registered the only sack for the Tiger defense. Murphy said he was ready for the Clemson defense to show who it really was and knew they were capable of that kind of performance since fall camp began.

“Pretty much everything we knew going into the season was put on display on Saturday night,” Murphy said. “The veteran-ism with the linebackers and the defensive line that we have and the secondary as well. We showed the size and the strength and the instincts we have. Everybody showed up and everything went well for our defense on Saturday night.”

Although the Tigers didn’t walk out of Charlotte with the win, Murphy said it was a great start and all they can do is build off of the product that was on the field on Saturday.

“Going against a high-powered offense and knowing what we were getting into week one for the defense is a great starting point,” said Murphy. “It makes me feel good, and makes the defense feel good.”

The Clemson defense has a chance to build off of their performance against Georgia this weekend with the Death Valley opener against South Carolina State on Saturday (5 p.m./ACCN).