Its most recent performance was a start for Clemson’s defense. Now first-year coordinator Wesely Goodwin wants to see his unit take it up a notch come Saturday.
“We need to take the next step as a defense and play consistent this weekend,” Goodwin said.
The Tigers head into their matchup against Miami fresh off a bounceback showing against Louisville, which amassed 400 yards but wasn’t nearly as effective on the ground as usual and reached the end zone just twice in Clemson’s 31-16 win over the weekend.
It’s been an up-and-down season for the defense, which began the season struggling against the pass (No. 71 pass defense nationally) but has had more issues stopping the run of late. Clemson still owns the nation’s 19th-best run defense statistically but had allowed more than 200 yards on the ground in two of its previous three games before last week, including a season-worst 263 in its loss at Notre Dame.
Louisville came into last week’s matchup with the nation’s No. 25 rushing offense. It helped that Malik Cunningham, the Cardinals’ leading rusher as one of the nation’s top dual-threat quarterbacks, didn’t play the second half with injuries, but Clemson held Louisville to 150 rushing yards – 46 less than its season average.
“We handled the adversity last week (after the Notre Dame loss),” Goodwin said. “Let’s handle the success this week and continue to build our momentum going into the weekend.”
Still, the Cardinals ripped off their share of chunk plays with seven plays of 19 yards or more. Those included a 44-yard run on a third-and-long in the first half and a 54-yard completion that set up Louisville’s first points of the second half.
Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke has been dealing with a shoulder injury that sidelined him last week. The Hurricanes turned to true freshman Jacurri Brown, another dual threat that helped Miami score five touchdowns in a three-score win at Georgia Tech, a week after the Hurricanes failed to reach the end zone in a blowout loss to Florida State.
Regardless of the opponent, Goodwin said there are “little things” Clemson’s defense can shore up in order to achieve that consistency this week.
“Some of the explosive plays, it’s just one guy that failed to do his job and getting all 11 guys on the same page whether it’s a gap issue and losing the B-gap on an inside zone (run) or, on an outside zone, somebody getting outside of their gap or missing a tackle on the perimeter,” Goodwin said. “Just little things here and there – technique, fundamentals, stuff that we’ve just to continue to grow and mature in some keys areas.”
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