Venables: Holding Offenses Out of End Zone Two Straight Weeks 'Not Easy Thing to Do'

For the second consecutive week the Clemson defense held an opponent out of the end zone and while pleased with the start, defensive coordinator Brent Venables said there is more work to be done.

For the second consecutive week, Brent Venables' defense did not allow an opponent to reach the end zone.

Clemson held SC State to just 253 yards of offense and just 4.9 yards per pass attempt in what was a dominating effort, as the Tigers cruised to a 49-3 win over the Bulldogs on Saturday.

Keeping a second consecutive team from scoring a touchdown is something Venables takes pride in, especially considering how many players got on the field in the blowout win.

"Played a ton of guys this week," Venables said. "Holding offenses out of the endzone two straight weeks, it's not an easy thing to do, regardless of who you're playing, especially considering how many guys played tonight. I'm really thankful that we had the opportunity to do that. And guys had fun going out and competing."

Overall, Venables was pleased with the performance of his defense, but at the same time, maintains that there are still some areas that need cleaning up.

"The execution was pretty good," Venables said. "We had our moments where it wasn't so good. Missed fit, out of position tackling-wise. Gave up a couple of competitive plays, but positioning, effort, toughness, and pretty good with fundamentals top to bottom."

Venables also noted that he was extremely pleased with the overall effort and with the level of accountability the Tigers have on that side of the ball, the defensive coordinator is fully confident that the Tigers will continue to get better.

"We're always pretty hard on ourselves, never really satisfied," Venables said. "But again, appreciate the effort of our guys, the work they put into the week. The preparation was outstanding. We had a really mature mindset, both in the meeting room and on the practice field."

Through the first two games, Venables' defense has been extremely impressive, and at all three levels. However, despite holding two straight teams out of the end zone to open the season, there is still more work to be done, but at the same time, Venables is more than happy with the start. 

"There's a lot to really build from," Venables said. "If holding a team out of the endzone is so easy, everybody could do it."

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