Goodwin, Davis say Tigers lacked the right mindset in losing physical contest

Tyler Davis was lauded as one of the better defenders in the effort at Notre Dame, and he says the Tigers didn't play with the right mindset there.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Nov 09 14:18:40 GMT-04:00 2022

CLEMSON – A night game against one of the most storied programs in college football. A top-four national ranking. National perception. Pride.

Clemson’s defense (and offense) had plenty of reasons to play hard last Saturday, and for much of the first half the defense held its own against a Notre Dame offense that wasn’t trying to trick anybody. But as the Clemson offense wilted under the lights and a dark Indiana sky, the defense finally broke.

The final overall numbers aren’t terrible – the Irish mustered just 348 total yards and averaged 5.4 yards per play. But the Irish gained 24 first downs in just 64 plays and were so confident in the run that they ran it on 46 of those 65 plays. Those 46 runs gained 265 yards as Notre Dame played keepaway all night.

Head coach Dabo Swinney called it an "ass-kicking" and admitted that the Tigers didn’t present a physical challenge to the Irish.

Defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin said Clemson had one of its best practices during the week, then laid the biggest egg when it counted.

“Some weeks you have a terrible week of preparation and you play your best,” Goodwin said. “So, it’s just one of those things sometimes you can’t put your finger on what went wrong, what went right.”

Goodwin said the Tigers have to learn from their mistakes and move forward.

“I think there’s always self-reflection, hindsight is always 20/20,” Goodwin said. “You go back and see the issues that need to be corrected and move forward and fix those mistakes and grow and learn from it. Everybody’s got to own it, myself included, and look back at what went wrong. I felt like last week was our best week of preparation all season and everybody felt really confident going into the game and you know the result that happened, but everybody’s got to own it and grow from it and get better as we proceed forward.”

Defensive tackle Tyler Davis was one of the few defensive players who played well, even if he had an Irish offensive lineman’s arm wrapped around his neck most of the night, but he was quiet when answering what went wrong in South Bend.

After thinking about it for a second, he had his answer.

“Mindset,” Davis said. “I don’t think we had the right mindset.”

With everything on the line, what happened to the right mindset?

“I have no idea,” Davis said. “Yes, it is surprising, but we’re going to learn from the film and we are going to move forward.”

Goodwin said that physicality is a mindset.

“I think physicality is a mindset everyone has to show up with,” Goodwin said. “I think that’s an intrinsic inside-out thought process. Maybe guys didn’t show up with the right mindset from that standpoint.”

The Tigers are set to face a hot Louisville team this weekend in Death Valley, and the lack of a right mindset could lead to another loss. Especially against an offense with a dynamic quarterback.

“Everybody still knows what’s left on the table and in front of us,” Goodwin said. “Everybody’s showed up with the right mindset to get back to work. Guys are hungry for information for how they can grow and get better from this and we’re all pulling in the same direction moving forward.”