Defense focused on basics heading into week two
While Clemson blew through Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the home opener at Memorial Stadium, the Tigers will have a steeper mountain to climb in week two as they face off against SEC foe Texas A&M, which will arguably be Clemson’s toughest offensive opponent in the 2019 regular season.
Tigers’ defensive coordinator Brent Venables no doubt liked much of what he saw out of his players last week, including two fumbles and two interceptions, but he said the Tigers will have to play a cleaner game and eliminate mistakes to succeed against the No. 12 team in the nation.
He said he expected members of his defense to play better once they gain more experience.
“As a group, we missed some layups that were there,” Venables said. “Some tackles for (a) loss, (a) bunch of tackles for (a) loss. We just can’t be surprised. We have to be sure of ourselves. We have to be a little bit better with fundamentals.”
Venables said some of his players experienced some “wide-eyed moments” in the first game of the season.
“That won’t be the end of that,” he said. “Again you've just got to keep playing. It’s a developmental game. The more you play, the more comfortable you are.”
Texas A&M downed Texas State by a score of 41-7 during its home opener on Aug. 29. The high-powered Aggies offense had two 100-yard rushers in Isaiah Spiller and Jashaun Corbin. Meanwhile, quarterback Kellen Mond threw for 194 yards with a completion percentage of 70.4 percent.
Venables said Texas A&M had an experienced group of receivers who have a lot of chemistry. He described Mond as an “excellent player” who can extend plays with his legs.
“His ability to execute is probably at a really high level without making mistakes,” Venables said about Mond. “He’s a great runner, a very dangerous runner and again can extend plays, and the receivers do a great job helping them extend plays. They got a really good system that is going to have balance in it, and he does a great job. He can throw. He’s got a huge arm. He can throw from one hash to another on a dime and (has) a great touch. … We won’t see anyone that’s better than him all year.”
