Clemson Tigers DC on Georgia Tech Loss: 'That's On Us'

For those that know the Clemson Tigers’ defensive coordinator, Tom Allen, perfection is the standard with his defenses.

After the team’s loss to Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium, Allen spoke to the media for the first time since the defeat on Tuesday, saying that he was disappointed but hopeful.

“I think, obviously, it’s fresh in your mind that you just played, so just disappointed,” Allen said. “Not discouraged, just disappointed in the inability to get off the field and give our offense the ball back so they could win the game, so that’s what we were supposed to do.”

Georgia Tech converted two third downs in the span of over three minutes to set up a fire drill field goal try from Aidan Birr, who would nail the program’s tied-longest field goal in its history. Allen was disappointed that the Yellow Jackets would even get a chance to attempt a kick.

The belief to be able to win the game with your defensive unit is what the former Penn State defensive coordinator wants to lament with his team.

“That’s the mindset that I want us to have and I want us to take pride in it as a defense,” Allen said. “I want us to attack that, so we’ve been okay at times, not good enough, in my opinion, and did not play to the standard on Saturday.”

For the first time this season, the team didn’t record takeaways, and perhaps just one could have been the difference. That and missing “key tackles” ended up missing Clemson’s key stops, which Georgia Tech took advantage of.

“We just needed one in that one to be able to get off the field in those key situations and to get those key stops,” Allen said. “Thinking about each game, to me, I thought we started strong. I do.”

The Yellow Jackets converted 80% of their third down conversions in the final quarter, which included a touchdown drive that put the team ahead of Clemson before a late-game Tiger touchdown would level the score. That’s been an important point of emphasis for Allen: being a fourth quarter defense.

“I think that summarizes some things for me, because I want to be at our best in the fourth quarter, and we had a lead in this last game and that, to me, that’s on us,” he said. “That’s on the defense to finish the game. Period.”

Clemson is 1-2, and while the two losses are against teams in the Top 25, Allen isn’t satisfied with the defensive performances. The team has the capability to be elite on the defensive side of the ball, and the Clemson defensive coordinator knows there’s more to come.

“Just the execution to me in all three games, at times, it’s been good, but it’s not consistent enough for me and for obviously what we have to be able to have is the defense that we want to be, and I think we can be,” Allen said. “So, I think that’s the focus for our guys right now, to be able to disrupt up front, tackle extremely well and make takeaways.”

Allen and the defense will look to continue to progress into an elite unit in Clemson’s next game against Syracuse on Saturday afternoon.