Death Valley was rockin' as a young team learns how to win

Ruke Orhorhoro and the Clemson D-line was having some fun Saturday.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sun Oct 02 10:40:07 GMT-04:00 2022

CLEMSON – That was about as fun as it gets, and if you were there to see it in person, you’ll never forget it.

Sure, Saturday night’s 30-20 victory over NC State lacked the drama of Deshaun and Lamar, there was no deluge of rain and a goal line stand like there was against Notre Dame, there was no ‘Swag Surfin’ by the defensive line, and there wasn’t a lot of drama that took the game down to the wire.

What it was, however, was a rollicking good time from start to finish. The students were waving pompoms and cheering and dancing 60 minutes before kickoff and the light show and music added their own key piece. The stadium was packed and the fans were on their feet from ‘We Will Rock You’ through Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believin.’ Heck, there were even a few Clemson coaches and support staff hugging and playing air guitar as the lights dimmed and the white lights from cellphone flashlights popped up all over the stadium. The fans were still on their feet when quarterback DJ Uiagalelei sealed the victory with a naked bootleg and a nine-yard touchdown run.

What we also saw was a team that is starting to find its way. This isn’t a championship team. Not yet. But they’ve passed their two toughest hurdles to date; they’re learning how to win, and like last season, learning how to deal with adversity as key player after key player misses time.

Heading into Saturday night’s game, cornerbacks Sheridan Jones and Malcolm Greene were still out with injury. Defensive back Andrew Mukuba was ejected early for targeting, and the Tigers were right back where they were last week, depending on freshmen to carry the load in the secondary. Later on, safety RJ Mickens had to leave the game (not believed to be serious), and the Tigers were already without defensive tackle Bryan Bresee and defensive end Xavier Thomas.

Toriano Pride had an interception. Nate Wiggins batted down a crucial third-down pass. Tyler Venables showed a veteran presence and stepped in to calm things. Freshman Sherrod Covil, who will one day be a fan favorite for his interview skills and love of the game, played big in big moments. That defensive line? They showed out all night. NC State has a big and veteran offensive line but they were handled by the Clemson defensive line most of the night. NC State had 34 rushing yards, the fewest against Clemson for the Pack since 2001.

Head coach Dabo Swinney loved the environment.

“That was Death Valley at its best tonight. Incredible to be able to tap into that energy. With all the new stuff we have, it's amazing. It really is,” Swinney said. "Credit goes to our players. I told 'em in the locker room, if we could bottle that up, that's special. Love their energy, grit, next-man-up mentality. This team is getting better. We aren't perfect; thought we left a lot out there tonight.”

Swinney said he is proud of his staff, a staff that is still growing and developing, and we saw Swinney perhaps coaching “everywhere” more than we’ve ever seen as this group learns to coach. There was Swinney in the defensive back huddle last week and this week, coaching the young corners out on the field, and drawing up plays in the dirt. In the past, he’s been able to be more of the CEO type, leaving Brent Venables and Tony Elliott alone for the most part.

This year, he’s more hands-on, and coaching each position group at times like he’s a position coach.

A championship team? I asked KJ Henry that question in postgame, and he agreed that they aren’t there. Not yet. But major strides are being taken.

“I think we took a major step forward tonight,” Henry said. “We are not there yet, but the mindset definitely showed up for four quarters tonight. That was a great thing to see on both sides of the ball. Obviously, we had some self-inflicting issues out there that we still have to work our way out of, but the killer mindset was there all night. It was fun to be part of.”

Henry was asked about the NC State and how members of that group said they were the best unit in the ACC. He laughed and poked a little fun at Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren with his comment.

“We did (see the comments). After the way we played last week, I was about to agree with them,” Henry said. “It is what it is. This is a game we wanted to win because they were another team in our way. There won’t be any smoking cigars or drinking out of red solo cups tonight. It’s just water bottles and getting ready for the next one. That is all we are worried about.”

Water bottles or not, it was a good time in the Valley.