Andrew Booth was happy with Clemson’s defensive effort, especially his own, albeit it came in a 10-3 loss to Georgia Saturday.
“Very proud. I felt like Coach (Venables), he had their number all night,” Booth told reporters during Tuesday’s media availability. “Felt like the plays we ran over in practice were the plays that were run out there. Very proud. Felt like we dominated out there.”
Booth said the defense never felt any pressure down the stretch. He added that the defensive unit did what it could to keep the game in reach.
Which, they certainly did.
Clemson’s defensive coordinator had his unit ready for anything Georgia’s high-powered offense threw their way Saturday. The Bulldogs ran a lot of up-tempo, but Venables had his troops ready to go.
“In practice, Coach V puts a lot of stress on us,” Booth said. “He loves to call it stress. He goes really fast and we get a lot of reps in.
Coming into the season, a point of emphasis for Booth taking his game to the next level was for the junior cornerback to be more physical and for that matter, more consistent.
That certainly was on full display during Saturday’s marquee matchup, even in losing fashion. Booth recorded four tackles (one for loss) and a pass defended.
Booth didn’t see many targets his way but was on his game when called upon in run support. In the first half, he made an open-field, shoe-string tackle after shedding a block, which ended in a third-down stop and a huge defensive stand for the Tigers.
“Coach V, he made that a very huge point,” Booth said. “I felt like me and Mario (Goodrich) were very physical out there on the outside, like as you saw out there. He really challenged us over the offseason and spring and fall. I feel like we came through with that.”
As for Mario Goodrich, the senior cornerback recorded 12 total tackles.
Challenging his veteran corners, seemed to pay off for Venables, especially in run-support.
Not to take the spotlight away from Booth’s dominant performance, but behind him, a true freshman in Andrew Mukuba blossomed during his first career start.
“He looked like he really belonged,” Booth said of the freshman safety out of LBJ Early College HS in Austin (Tex.). “It was crazy. He wasn’t timid out there. He didn’t look scared. He was out there. He was ready to go. It really showed all week in practice too. Mukuba looked and acted like he really belonged. He acted like he’s been here for a minute, so that was great to see.”
The Tigers will certainly need players like Booth and Mukuba to maintain their great performances as the team’s safety depth chart took a hit with the loss of safety Landen Zanders (shoulder) for the season and the cornerback room already being thin as is.
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