Clemson’s vaunted defensive line looked as advertised during the team’s spring game Saturday, though the group knows its suffocating performance came with a caveat.
“That’s what I expect of us every time we take the field, but at the same time, we’d be remiss to (not) notice some great offensive linemen we have were out (Saturday),” defensive end K.J. Henry said. “People on social media probably won’t even pay attention to stuff like that, but we know what it is.
“We know what we’ve got, and we know what we bring on both sides of the ball.”
The Tigers’ defensive front brought pressure – and a lot of it – during the Orange and White game. The unit had a more decisive edge than usual with Clemson running out much younger offensive lines between injuries and the decision to rest some veteran players, but with every defensive lineman on the two-deep back from last season — including a wealth of talent and experience on the edge — Clemson figures to once again be a handful for any offensive line it goes up against this fall.
The fight in the trenches Saturday was rarely fair. Clemson’s top two running backs (Will Shipley and Kobe Pace) weren’t available either, but those that were had little room to operate on a day when the defenses lived in the backfield. The teams combined for minus-35 yards rushing while the defenses were credited with 22 tackles for loss and 13 sacks in the White team’s 15-7 win.
Rising junior end Myles Murphy notched three of those sacks as part of his four tackles for loss. Xavier Thomas showed speed and explosion off the edge for four tackles while Henry got to the quarterback more often than anybody with 3.5 sacks.
“We have a lot of chemistry, and we know how to play with each other,” Murphy said. “We’re just playing well and know how to scheme against every offensive line we play against. We’re just doing a very good job.”
The group did it without the services of star defensive tackle Bryan Bresee (knee) and fellow interior lineman Tre Williams (shoulder, others), who missed the spring as they work their way back from injuries. But Henry and Murphy said there’s still work to do this summer in order for the unit to meet the lofty expectations placed on them considering everything it’s returning.
Thomas, Henry and fellow end Justin Mascoll are all fifth-year players who gave the Tigers a lift by deciding to return for one more season. Meanwhile, Murphy, the Tigers’ sack leader a season ago, and Bresee may be the team’s top prospects for the 2023 NFL Draft. Williams, Ruke Orhorhoro and Etinosa Reuben are all key cogs back on the interior of a line that helped Clemson finish in the top 15 nationally in sacks and tackles for loss last season, and former blue-chip recruits Payton Page and DeMonte Capehart could provide quality depth up front with larger roles this fall.
Henry said it makes for a lot of potential, but the group needs to put it all together once it’s whole again to become a consistently dominant force.
“It doesn’t mean nothing until we really put it out there,” Henry said. “The next step for us is just having a great summer and really developing, getting us healthy, getting us stronger, getting us faster and really honing in on our craft to be a great d-line this year. We’ve got to earn it, and we’re going to try to earn it each day in the summer.”
Murphy said that starts with focusing on the details, including everyone maintaining peak physical condition leading up to the start of fall camp in August.
“That’s the biggest thing for all of us,” Murphy said. “Staying moving. Don’t take an entire week off just not doing anything. Stay up, stay moving and stay active. Stay in shape.”
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