Clemson Secondary Must 'Find a Way' Against Explosive North Carolina Offense

Despite being banged up and without R.J. Mickens for the first half, Dabo Swinney said Clemson's secondary will have to find a way to slow Drake Maye and the high-powered North Carolina offense.

Jason Priester All Clemson

If Clemson is to win the ACC Championship, the backend of the defense will need to be better than it was in the loss to South Carolina.

The Tigers allowed Spencer Rattler to pass for 360 yards in the 31-30 loss to the rival Gamecocks. While South Carolina receivers made some plays against good coverage at times. there were also some busts in coverage that helped allow the Gamecocks to hit on six passing plays that went for 20 yards or more.

The busts reportedly led to a verbal altercation on the sidelines, and while Dabo Swinney didn't witness the exchange, the head coach said he wouldn't be surprised if one in fact did take place.

"I mean they probably were, but I didn't hear that," Swinney said. "We had some critical mistakes. Everybody wants to win. When you have one guy in football not do his job properly, it affects everybody and leads to frustration. That's just part of it."

With North Carolina featuring what is the best passing offense the Tigers have faced all season, Clemson can ill afford a repeat performance in Charlotte. The Tar Heels come in with the eighth-best passing attack in the country, as quarterback Drake Maye averages 321 passing yards per game.

Making it even more difficult on Clemson is the fact that R.J. Mickens will miss the first half due to a targeting ejection that came in the second half last of the loss to South Carolina. 

Fellow safety Jalyn Phillips is also playing banged up, but Swinney is confident that he will be available in Charlotte.

"Yeah, he's just beat up," Swinney said. "He's like the car I had in college, beat up, but still running. He went back in the game when I thought he was done. I told him he couldn't go. He said, 'Coach, I have to go.' He somehow finished. He'll find a way to be ready Saturday night. That's for sure. He's a great kid. He's a captain for us this week."

With Mickens out for the first half and Phillips not at 100%, freshman Sherrod Covil could once again hear his number called. Covil logged 24 snaps against the Gamecocks, registering five tackles, with one tackle for loss.

Swinney has really liked the transformation he's seeing in the true freshman, even going as far as comparing him to former safety K'Von Wallace, who is now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.

"Everybody (every team) is banged up. We have to find a way," Swinney said. "Sherrod Covil, man he's exactly what you are looking for. I just felt like early he had some immaturity. Since the Florida State game he has made a turn and has gotten in a good groove in what he needs to do. He's going to be a good player. I think he can be better than K'Von Wallace. He's got some swag to him, some fire in his belly. He's got a lot of work to do. K'Von became a great leader and a mature, committed kid. Covil isn't quite there yet. He's got to step up for us this week. No doubt about it."

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