Clemson Football 2020 Season Grades: Defensive Line

All Clemson takes a look back at how the Clemson defensive line performed throughout the 2020 season.

Author:
JP Priester
Feb 13, 2021 7:00 PM EST

There was plenty of optimism surrounding the revamped Clemson defensive line heading into the 2020 season.

After suffering from a lack of depth in 2019, most notably on the interior, the Tigers were expected to once again have an elite-level defensive front. However, a rash of injuries that started well before the season deprived the team of ever being at full strength up front.

Xavier Thomas and Justin Foster were both projected to start at defensive end. Foster missed the entire season with an undisclosed injury and Thomas was limited due to multiple offseason illnesses. He did appear in seven games, but started just once and logged only 119 snaps. Ruke Orhorhoro played just 33 snaps and Logan Rudolph also left the team before the spring.

The losses did not stop there. Defensive tackle Tyler Davis missed five games with an injury and played less than 200 snaps. Without Davis, the Clemson defense just wasn't the same, in particular against the run. Nyles Pinckney and Jordan Williams provided quality depth but there was a noticeable drop-off when Davis was not on the field.

The Tigers did have talented freshmen Bryan Bresee and Myles Murphy available to step in and fill the voids and both turned in fantastic seasons. Murphy was the team's most efficient pass rusher up front, finishing the season with four sacks. Bresee won ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors and led all Clemson defensive linemen with 432 snaps.

K.J. Henry and Justin Mascoll shared time at the defensive end spot opposite Murphy. Henry finished the season with 3.5 sacks but did not take the step many were expecting in his third year in the program. Mascoll finished with 2 sacks and 4.5 TFL but had his share of struggles, most notably in run defense.

While there were some growing pains at times due to youth and inexperience, overall the defensive front played well. Especially when all of the absences are factored in. Clemson finished ranked No. 15 nationally in run defense and tied for first in total sacks (46) and total tackles for loss (85).