Clemson defense shuts down Miami with historic numbers

Clemson's defense swarmed the freshman QB from Miami, Jacurri Davis.

by Nikki Hood - Staff Writer - Sun Nov 20 07:00:05 GMT-04:00 2022

CLEMSON – After an embarrassing loss at Notre Dame, Clemson’s defense needed a reset. Instead, they changed their mindset, and it has shown in the last two weeks against Louisville and Miami.

In the Tigers’ 40-10 win over Miami Saturday night, Clemson’s defense held the Canes to just 98 total yards – 68 through the air and 30 on the ground. It was the third-lowest single-game total in Miami history, trailing the Hurricanes’ 22-yard performance against Kentucky in 1951 and their 87-yard effort against Notre Dame in 1965.

The 98 yards were Clemson’s fewest allowed since holding South Carolina State to 44 yards in 2014. It was Clemson’s first time holding an ACC opponent below 100 yards since 2009 (54 vs. Boston College).

Miami only ran 42 offensive plays, the fewest by a Clemson opponent since 1992 (North Carolina, 42). It marked only the eighth time since 1954 that a Clemson opponent has run 42 or fewer plays in a game.

Defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin said his unit’s preparation and attention to detail are showing up on game day.

“Third fewest yards in Miami football history, which is an unbelievable accomplishment to send these seniors out on Senior Day,” Goodwin said. “I'm just really proud of our defensive effort. It comes from preparation. We had a tremendous week of practice and just guys getting the focus, the details, the alignments. The last two weeks, they've taken what they've learned throughout the week, and it's shown on Saturday night.

“Obviously, we wish we could take away that red zone drive that we gave up after the turnover. To hold them to 98 yards, what a tremendous day for our guys.”

Clemson’s defense has been in attack mode, and that’s who they are and who they want to be.

“That's what we do. That has been our defense since camp,” safety Jalyn Phillips said. “We want to attack folks. We know we have the guys and the skillset to do whatever we want to do, whether it's sending pressure or dropping eight. We know we have the skill set to do whatever Wes calls, so whatever he calls, we're going to try to pursue it to the best of our ability.”

Phillips said the defense is still angry about their performance at Notre Dame, and that has fueled their success the last two weeks.

“The defense played great. We prepared with purpose throughout the week and played with a different kind of mindset.” Phillips said after the game Saturday night. “We're still angry from that loss we took at Notre Dame, and that's how we're going to play for the rest of the year.

“I felt like we didn't come out with the right mindset for that game. Last game and this game, we came out with the right mindset. It's all about mindset when you play defense. It's all about playing physical and having that great mindset when you go out there.”

Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, Jr. said players are doing their jobs, and that’s the big difference between the last two weeks and the on-field product people saw earlier in the season.

“I'd say the mentality, the work ethic, and overall our technique has gotten better as far as everybody making sure they're doing their job and making sure we have a lot less blown assignments,” Trotter said. “I feel like that's been showing these last two weeks. I feel like this defense has taken a step in the right direction.”