Clemson Defense Rises to Occasion In Big Win Over NC State

Defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin thought his unit set the tone, particularly in the second half, in Clemson's 30-20 win over NC State.

CLEMSON, S.C.- After a less-than-stellar performance a week ago against Wake Forest, the Clemson defense stepped up big against NC State.

Wes Goodwin's defense resembled the unit it was projected to be back in the preseason, holding Devin Leary and the Wolfpack offense in check most of the night, as No. 5 Clemson beat No. 10 NC State 30-20 in a pivotal ACC Atlantic showdown.

With Clemson up 13-10 coming out of halftime, the Wolfpack got the ball first after the break. The Tigers would then sack Leary twice, forcing a quick three and out, swinging the momentum heavily in Clemson's favor.

"The biggest play I think of the game might have been Barrett's (Carter) sack right there on the first play," Goodwin said. "I mean, that just lit that atmosphere on fire, guys responded. Came out defense first, you know, just set the tone. And then obviously got the sack on third down, three and out, I mean, that's a huge momentum play." 

After last week's performance in Winston-Salem, Goodwin wanted to see his defense come out and be more physical, and that's exactly what he saw, as the Tigers won the battle at the line of scrimmage, holding the Wolfpack to just 34 rushing yards on the night.

"That was the number one thing coming in this week, just the physicality, you know," Goodwin said. "That's what we want to be known for as a defense. Physical and being relentless, and just winning the line of scrimmage. We knew, those guys coming in, just how physical and tough they play. They play with a relentless intensity. We had to match that and play at a level of that championship strain for four quarters and I felt like our guys rose to the occasion."

While the defense did allow Leary to throw for 245 yards, the Tigers were mostly successful at keeping everything in front of them and not allowing the big, explosive plays. 

Much of that success was due to the play of the defensive line, which allowed Goodwin to drop more guys into coverage, It was a performance the defensive coordinator is hoping is a sign of things to come, as Clemson sacked Leary three times on the night, had five tackles for loss, and forced two turnovers.

Goodwin is even more hopeful that the team is close to getting everyone healthy and back on the field, as the Tigers have been hit with a number of early season injuries along the defensive line. Bryan Bresee was out for the second time in three weeks against the Wolfpack, and Xavier Thomas has yet to play this season as he recovers from a broken foot. Tyler Davis has also missed time, as has Tre Williams.

Having to shuffle so many players in and out of the lineup played a part in the Clemson front four not being quite as dominant as expected over the first four weeks of the season, according to Goodwin, but in the win over NC State, the defensive line was so disruptive, it allowed the Tigers to drop more players into coverage.

"If you can rush four and play coverage, and still generate pass rush, be disruptive up front, I think that that helps your defense because you got more guys in coverage," Goodwin said.

"I think it's just been a crazy few weeks with everything going on, guys in and out of the lineup. It's no different from the backend, there's like chemistry and continuity that those guys have to have as well. Whether you're running pass rush with twists, working together and stuff. Hopefully, we can just build some consistency and momentum as we continue to go through this stretch."

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