Tag: Clemson footall

Allen: ‘We know how to respond’

With Clemson’s loss to Notre Dame in South Bend now in the rearview, it’s time for the Tigers to respond – a feeling veteran tight end Davis Allen is all too familiar with. In his four seasons with the Clemson program, Allen has seen both the …

With Clemson’s loss to Notre Dame in South Bend now in the rearview, it’s time for the Tigers to respond — a feeling veteran tight end Davis Allen is all too familiar with.

In his four seasons with the Clemson program, Allen has seen both the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. From going to the National Championship his freshman year to missing a playoff berth for the first time since 2015 last season, Allen knows what it looks like for the Tigers to respond, something the senior hopes is a reality for this Clemson team moving forward.

“I don’t think we have an option; I mean that’s just part of the deal,” Allen said. “You can’t listen to the outside noise, and at the end of the day, we gotta show up and go to work today. It doesn’t matter what they were saying whether it was good or bad. I think today [Monday] will be a big day of regrouping, refocusing and getting our minds and our eyes set on Louisville.”

The Tigers have a history of responding well to adversity. Take the previous two seasons for example. During the tight end’s sophomore season in 2020, Clemson dropped a close one, 47-40, to Notre Dame on the road in double overtime, but came back with a vengeance, defeating the Fighting Irish in redemptive fashion in the ACC Championship and later making another playoff appearance in the Sugar Bowl.

The same resiliency that got Clemson back to the CFP in 2020 was present once again last season after a less-than-stellar 4-3 start for the Tigers. Despite the slow start, Allen and his teammates finished out the season winning six straight, outscoring their opponents 202-91 including a 20-13 win over Iowa State in the Cheez-It Bowl.

“We know how to respond,” the Georgia native said. “I mean you look at the past and see how we responded then, and this team’s very capable of responding the same way and I’m very confident we will. Everybody knows the standard that has been set here and that is expected of us. We all know that we didn’t play to that standard, and we know what we gotta do to get back on track. I’m very confident that we’ll respond the right way.”

Now with a three-game home stretch on the horizon, the Tigers must now turn their attention to a talented Louisville team (6-3, 3-3 ACC) coming to town this weekend — a challenge Allen knows this Clemson team will be more than ready for.

“They’re a good team,” Allen said. “Obviously, I don’t watch the offense, but from a defensive standpoint, they play hard, they’re aggressive, they like to impose their will on their opponent, and they like to move around a lot. It’s going to be a good challenge, but we’ll be ready for it.”

Clemson kicks off its Military Appreciation Day versus Louisville on Saturday, Nov. 12, at Memorial Stadium at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN.

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

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Clemson’s offense has worst showing of the season in loss to Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Fourth-ranked Clemson fell to Notre Dame on Saturday 35-14 in their worst offensive showing of the season. The offense struggled both in the run and the passing game, but what really nailed the Tigers was their inability to win …

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Fourth-ranked Clemson fell to Notre Dame on Saturday 35-14 in their worst offensive showing of the season.

The offense struggled both in the run and the passing game, but what really nailed the Tigers was their inability to win the turnover margin for the second straight game. The loss to Notre Dame featured the fewest total yards for the Tigers this season.

At the conclusion of the third quarter, the Tigers only had 127 yards on offense, were 1-8 on third downs and only averaged 3.9 yards per play. They finished the game with 281 yards.

Prior to this game, Clemson’s fewest rushing yards in a game was 119 total yards. In the loss to the Irish, the Tiger’s only had 90 rush yards, which paled in comparison to Notre Dame’s 265.

Two interceptions by Notre Dame helped seal the Tigers’ fate. Both interceptions were made by Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison, who the second one 96 yards for a touchdown to make it 28-0 Notre Dame early in the fourth quarter.

Morrison made the first interception late in the third quarter, when backup quarterback Cade Klubnik came in for the Tigers. The cornerback’s interception was deep in Clemson territory which led to another touchdown for the Irish a couple plays later.

Only Will Shipley’s touchdown run in the fourth quarter prevented Clemson from being shut out.

The Tigers leave South Bend with a loss on their record and much to figure out on the offensive side of the ball.

DB target says Clemson is ‘gonna be hard to beat’ after visit

Three-star defensive back Khalil Barnes spoke to The Clemson Insider in a follow-up interview following his visit to Death Valley on Oct. 22. Barnes said to The Clemson Insider prior to his visit that he looked forward to meeting coach Dabo Swinney, …

Three-star defensive back Khalil Barnes spoke to The Clemson Insider in a follow-up interview following his visit to Death Valley on Oct. 22.

Barnes said to The Clemson Insider prior to his visit that he looked forward to meeting coach Dabo Swinney, feeling the atmosphere of Death Valley and seeing what Clemson had to offer and it seems like Clemson didn’t disappoint the safety target.

“Man, Death Valley lived up to the hype,” he said. “The crowd was in the game all day long and they love their Tigers. They also pay attention to recruiting, because I had a few fans stop and ask me for pictures and just showing love.”

Barnes also had the opportunity to connect with Swinney, as well as the coaches that have recruited him, safeties coach Mickey Conn and defensive coordinator Wesley Goodwin.

“I talked to coach Swinney before the game,” he said. “His message to me was just that he wants me to be a part of his team not only because I’m a special player, but he feels like I’m a culture fit for them. I spent a lot of time with coach Conn and coach Goodwin as well.”

It wasn’t just the coaches and staff that welcomed Barnes, but the players as well. Barnes expressed that between the interactions he had on Saturday and the environment of Death Valley, Clemson was “gonna be hard to beat.”

“The team was really cool,” he said. “All the guys showed love to recruits and after the game and even when they were down they never panicked and showed a lot of faith in each other, which is cool. They set a standard high for my next visits. Gonna be hard to beat.”

The key prospect was joined by his dad and both his high school head coach and offensive coordinator. Barnes wasn’t the only one who loved Clemson.

“My dad and my head coach Tyler Aurandt and offensive coordinator Kurt Dorehman came with me,” he said. “And, yes they loved everything about the place.”

Clemson had a thrilling, come-from-behind victory over Syracuse and Barnes just feels like that’s what Clemson does. He expressed his thoughts about the outcome of the game.

“Man, I don’t know why, I just always feel like Clemson finds a way to win,” he said. “Even when they were down, you always have a gut feeling they are going to find a way to pull it out and I’m glad they did, because it made the visit even better.”

Being a top defensive back prospect for the class of 2023, Barnes had some insights about how the defense played, fending off a talented Syracuse offense.

“Man, they kept the team in it simple,” he said. “Shout out to coach Goodwin and the staff for pitching a second half shutout.”

When he reflects on his visit, he thinks about how Clemson made history and there was just so much hype surrounding the team in that moment.

“It would’ve probably been the locker room environment after just seeing how hype it was to see history being made,” he said.

Latest NFL Draft projections for Andrew Booth

It’s mock draft season, which means various draft analysts/media outlets continue to make their predictions for the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, which is scheduled to be held in late April in Las Vegas. Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth Jr., a …

It’s mock draft season, which means various draft analysts/media outlets continue to make their predictions for the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, which is scheduled to be held in late April in Las Vegas.

Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth Jr., a first-team All-ACC selection in 2021, is widely expected to be taken in the first round. But when in the first round will Booth’s name be called and by which team?

Here’s a rundown of when and where some of the latest mock drafts have Booth projected to go:

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest mock draft (subscription required) has Booth being taken by the Las Vegas Raiders with the No. 22 overall pick.

“This is another tough pick to figure out, with general manager Mike Mayock out and the Raiders now searching for someone to run their football operations,” Kiper wrote. “The Las Vegas roster has some issues, particularly along the right side of its offensive line and in the secondary, so I went with the top cornerback left on my board. Fifth-round pick Nate Hobbs was a nice find in last year’s draft, but this defense could use Booth, a 6-foot press-coverage corner who allowed only one completion of more than 20 yards in 2021. He was extremely consistent over the past two seasons, locking down receivers. The Raiders ranked 27th in QBR allowed (51.4) this season; taking Booth would address a weakness.”

CBS Sports writer Ryan Wilson’s most recent mock draft projects Booth to the Baltimore Ravens with the 14th overall selection.

“The Ravens’ secondary was decimated by injuries this season; Jimmy Smith is in the final year of his deal and Marcus Peters and Tavon Young are set to hit free agency after next season,” Wilson wrote. “Booth has all the athleticism and tools to be special, and he balled out for Clemson this season.”

Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus recently projected Booth to be drafted by the Buffalo Bills with the 25th overall pick.

“Buffalo doesn’t have a ton of needs, especially on defense — where it fielded the fourth highest-graded coverage unit in the NFL,” Sikkema wrote. “The Bills certainly hope Tre’Davious White will be back at CB1 next year after he tore his ACL midway through this season. But they could use an upgrade at CB2. Sliding Booth in there would make that secondary, along with two of the best safeties in the league, one of the strongest in the league.”

The Draft Network’s Bryan Perez is the highest on Booth among the aforementioned analysts, at least as far as when he thinks Booth will come off the board, projecting him to be taken No. 12 overall by the Minnesota Vikings.

“The Vikings’ long and arduous quest to find a quality starting cornerback continues into the 2022 offseason and they’ll get another chance to fix the problem with Booth Jr., who’s on track to end draft season as CB1,” Perez wrote. “A versatile defender who offers plus coverage skills and toughness against the run, Booth Jr. is a day-one starter and would instantly be one of the Vikings’ most talented defenders.”

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