Clemson defense remains hungry following effort at FSU

Avieon Terrell was all over the field in the win over FSU.

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Sunday, October 06 2024

TALLAHASSEE - The Clemson defense is anything but satisfied.

On any given night of football, only surrendering 13 points is worthy of praise. Watching your offense double the yardage that you gave up has to feel good walking into the locker room.

When certain Tiger defenders had the chance to speak on their performance, you’d be led to believe they gave up 100 points.

Just ask Avieon Terrell.

The sophomore corner’s efforts played a significant role in Clemson’s shutdown of the Seminoles, recording six tackles and an interception.

Entering the fourth quarter, the Tigers only surrendered 120 yards of offense. They let up 130 in the fourth quarter alone.

That stat alone might’ve been enough to irk Terrell, with him acknowledging mistakes were made.

“I think we did okay,” Terrell said. “It could have been better, but we had a few mistakes, so we can do better. But I feel like we played okay.”

Terrell’s assessment read like a man of few words, who likely wants to turn on the tape and the page to Wake Forest.

But where do they feel they struggled specifically against Florida State?

Wade Woodaz provided more context to the defense's grievances, wanting his unit to clean up the plays within the red zone.

“Yeah, I'm not too happy with how we played, honestly,” Woodaz said. “Yeah, we won the game, and obviously, I'm happy about that, but we didn't finish in the red zone, which is one of our big goals. So, always coming into games, we got to clean up some stuff on the back end, but overall, it was a solid night.”

Dabo Swinney said good teams win at home, but great teams win at home.

So where do the teams that accomplish that goal yet remain unsatisfied land? For Woodaz, he wants just to get back to Clemson and back to business.

“Just discipline, getting back to work,” Woodaz said. “I mean, I can't dwell on it for long. I just think there were so many opportunities for us to get our hands on passes, especially for me, to make an impact there. So I'm not too happy about that. But we got the win, so you have to feel good.”

For this defensive unit, they might not be practicing what they preach.

There’s a certain hunger that even a 16-point win won’t satisfy, and that appetite won’t be quenched for another weekend. The next course on that meal rests in Winston-Salem, along with the conclusion of Clemson’s two-game road trip.

The Demon Deacons are next on the Tiger defense’s menu, and they are looking forward to fine dining.