Myles Murphy And Bryan Bresee 'Freshmen On Paper Only'
After all of the hype over the offseason, the freshmen along the Clemson defensive line lived up to the billing in Saturday night's season opening win over Wake Forest.
Even without starting defensive ends Xavier Thomas and Justin Foster, the Tigers front four was dominant from the opening whistle and never let up in a game that felt more lopsided than the 37-13 final score would indicate.
Myles Murphy led the team with seven total tackles and two sacks, while Bryan Bresee also recorded two tackles and half a sack in what can only be described as impressive debuts for the two freshmen.
"Yeah, he's (Murphy) pretty special, you know," Swinney said during his Sunday teleconference. "He and Bresee you know, they're freshmen on paper only. They're smart, they're instinctive, they're big and physical, incredibly coachable guys. You know, that's just not the norm. At all."
Of the two players, it was Murphy who really stood out on the stat sheet in the season opener. Instead of a player making his collegiate debut, Murphy resembled more of a seasoned vet in Winston-Salem on Saturday night.
"But you know, as a true freshman coming in, you know, he really has all the attributes that you look for," Swinney said.
However, it wasn't just the freshmen that shined against Wake Forest. K.J. Henry got things started off with the teams first sack of the night and has developed into one of the team's leaders on that side of the ball.
"So good to see K.J. He's become such a great leader for us," Swinney said. "Just seeing him become a technician guy out there and you know, great job with his technique and fundamentals, and getting that first sack."
As good as the Tigers front four was against Wake Forest, things are only going to get better. Not only will the young players improve from one week to the next, but at some point both Justin Foster and Xavier Thomas are expected back, making the nation's number one team that much more formidable.
"You know, Xavier and Justin, when they get back rolling that's just more fuel for the fire there," Swinney said. "But great to see us get that type of start. That type of production, you know, out of Myles right out of the gate, because again, I know he's just gonna get better from there."
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