Derion Kendrick's Scoop-and-Score Guides Clemson Past Virginia Tech
The case of Clemson cornerback Derion Kendrick this season has been a peculiar one, to say the least. But perhaps all he needed was a little TLC in Dabo Swinney's "love shack."
After a near-disastrous decision at the goal line to go for the interception rather than just knocking the ball down on Virginia Tech's hail mary attempt at the end of the first half, Kendrick made up for it and then some in the third quarter.
"I should have caught it. I had planned on catching it and just falling," Kendrick said of the mistake. "I should have knocked it out of bounds so they wouldn't have had an opportunity to catch it or get into the end zone."
Swinney agreed in his postgame press conference stating that was certainly not how they coach them to handle that situation and it was a "coachable moment" for sure.
Shortly after Clemson created some breathing room with a seven-yard Trevor Lawrence touchdown run to pull ahead 24-10, Kendrick picked up a Hendon Hooker fumble and was off to the races on a 66-yard scoop-and-score.
"I was just doing my job. I saw the ball spill out and a couple of my teammates misjudged the ball so I had an opportunity to scoop it," Kendrick said. I thought I was going to get caught because I locked up a little bit, but it's alright."
Kendrick said it felt good to get back onto the field and be able to contribute to the team win which sends the Tigers back to Charlotte in pursuit of their sixth straight ACC Championship.
Swinney has remained adamant that Kendrick wasn't in the dog house but it has been clear that something has been off this season. From sitting out games, including the Nov. 28 game against Pittsburgh, to coming off the bench a few times, it hasn't quite shaped into the season some were expecting from the junior from Rock Hill, S.C.
"Sometimes people might say you're in the doghouse. I like to say he's in the Love Shack," Swinney said last weekend after Kendrick was held. "Just a little team discipline with him and DK's actually one of my favorites. The Bible says the great the greatest form of discipline is love. So, just put him in the Love Shack this weekend, and hopefully, he'll respond the right way. I loved his attitude today."
Regardless of the setbacks this season, it is still business as usual for Kendrick who is doing his best to stay the course and do his part every day he puts on the helmet and pads.
"I just love playing football and being out there with my teammates and playing with them and for them," he said.
