The final numbers are in.
Clemson’s identity over the course of the 2021 season was a defensive-oriented team that needed to do just enough on offense. The Tigers stayed true to form in their Cheez-It Bowl win.
Clemson finished with 315 yards and found the end zone just once, but the Tigers also got two field goals from B.T. Potter and some help from the defense to end their season with a 20-13 win last week. Clemson suffocated one of the Big 12’s top offenses to the tune of 270 total yards and used Mario Goodrich’s pick-six to notch its 10th and final win of the season.
With all but two starters back, the defense was once again among the nation’s best under the guidance of coordinator Brent Venables, who parlayed the Tigers’ success on that side of the ball over the years into his first head coaching job at Oklahoma. Just how close did Clemson come to matching or exceeding its defensive performance from a season ago?
With just one game left in this college football season, here’s how Clemson’s defense finished out of 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in major statistical categories compared to last season. Numbers in parentheses indicate the Tigers’ national ranking for that category.
Points allowed
2021: 14.8 per game (2)
2020: 20.2 (18)
Total yards allowed
2021: 305.5 per game (8)
2020: 326.8 (15)
Rushing yards allowed
2021: 96.3 per game (7)
2020: 112.7 (15)
Passing yards allowed
2021: 209.2 per game (34)
2020: 214.2 (41)
First downs
2021: 222 (t-14)
2020: 192 (66)
Third-down conversions
2021: 34.1% (21)
2020: 31.2% (10)
Fourth-down conversions
2021: 41.7% (30)
2020: 36.8% (16)
Red zone
2021: 64.5% (2)
2020: 77.4 (31)
Sacks
2021: 3.23 per game (9)
2020: 3.83 (5)
Tackles for loss
2021: 7.1 per game (13)
2020: 9.1 (3)
Interceptions
2021: 12 (t-40)
2020: 14 (t-9)
Turnover margin
2021: plus-0.23 (45)
2020: plus-0.67 (22)
Penalties
2021: 6.08 per game (64)
2020: 5.42 (44)
Special teams
Punt average
2021: 38.4 (82)
2020: 37.8 (79)
Punt return average
2021: 4.43 (117)
2020: 9.46 (34)
Kickoff return average
2021: 24.8 (20)
2020: 22.8 (36)
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