CLEMSON FOOTBALL

Goodwin credits 'electric' Death Valley for helping his defense
Goodwin says his defense will be challenged at BC this week.

Goodwin credits 'electric' Death Valley for helping his defense


by - Senior Writer -

CLEMSON – Wes Goodwin says that Death Valley was “electric” during the win over NC State, and that helped his defense turn in one of its best performances of the season. Now that group has to go and do it on the road.

Clemson defeated NC State 30-20 last Saturday in Death Valley, and the defense held the Wolfpack to just one touchdown during the game’s first 58 minutes. This week the Tigers take to the road to take on Boston College in a kickoff scheduled for 7:30 pm (ABC).

Goodwin said he saw plenty of things to like out of his defense last week.

“You saw the heart and soul of our team, just the grit, the leadership,” Goodwin said earlier this week. “And perseverance, just battling and going back to work while having the play-by-play mentality. It was really cool to see.”

Goodwin said the atmosphere was so electric it aided the Tigers in their recruiting efforts.

“No question (It influenced the recruits) Just the atmosphere, it was electric in there,” Goodwin said. “Credit to our fans; they showed up and showed out. With the lights going and the atmosphere, there's no better gameday atmosphere than that.”

The Tigers were burned by Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman for six touchdowns two weeks ago, but they responded in a big way in beating the Pack. Goodwin said his group didn’t pout or sulk.

“We went back to work. Everyone knew it was going to be a great atmosphere. Gameday and night game in The Valley, you don't really have to motivate the guys for that,” he said. “We just went back to work, mastered the basics, and got better with our technique and discipline. The guys responded. (We) coached them hard, and coached the details, and obviously, it showed up on Saturday.”

Saturday’s game at Boston College is the annual Red Bandana Game, which honors BC graduate Welles Crowther, who lost his life helping people out of the World Trade Center on 9-11. Goodwin said he expects a great atmosphere as the Eagles honor one of their own.

“It's gonna be a great challenge. It'll be a great environment up there with a night game and a red bandana game. Just another stepping stone for us as a team,” Goodwin said. Win the week and go 1-0. I think last year they threw for 311 yards on us, and with a veteran quarterback who played really well last week, it'll be a huge challenge. Zay Flowers is a really good receiver in this conference, so that'll be a good challenge for our back seven. It all starts up front-- win the line of scrimmage and control explosive plays on the back end.”

Clemson currently sits second nationally in run defense, giving up just 69 yards per game. That includes giving up just 34 yards on 21 carries to NC State.

“I think with the talent we have up front and the mindset that we have (is where it starts),” Goodwin said. “That says a lot about your defense, and we talk about physicality, and there's no better measuring stat than rushing defense, I feel like. We're up there, and hopefully we will continue that trend in the second half of the season. Just controlling the line of scrimmage makes them one-dimensional. But on the flip side, teams have gone away from running the ball. I think we're ninth most with passes defended at 196 or something, so there's a flip side.”

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