Herbstreit Doesn't See 'Same Personality' on Clemson Defense
Undermanned or not, the Clemson defense did not play championship caliber football in Saturday nights 47-40 double overtime loss to Notre Dame.
While Brent Venables unit played well for stretches, the Tigers still gave up over 500-yards of offense to the Fighting Irish, with 208 of those coming on the ground.
Clemson went into the game missing Tyler Davis, James Skalski, and Mike Jones Jr. All are key pieces on the defensive side of the ball. On top of that, the team lost Andrew Booth Jr., Lannden Zanders, and Nolan Turner to injury during the contest.
On Tuesday nights College Football Playoff Top 25 Show, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said that despite the injuries, it feels like there is just something missing when you compare it to some of Venables' groups from the past.
"Let’s look at Clemson, because I know they had injuries, and that’s important,” Herbstreit said. “But do you guys look at their defense, as good as Brent Venables is, and you just don’t see the same personality and the alphas that they’ve had in the past."
Eight games into the season and the Clemson defense is allowing 19.5 points per game. Last season, the Tigers allowed just 13.5 per game. Although, you won't hear Venables, nor head coach Dabo Swinney, using the rash of injuries as any kind of excuse. It's just not who they are.
At the same time, there is no denying the fact that the injuries have taken a toll. Herbstreit says that until the group is fully healthy, it's hard to get a good read on exactly how good this defense can be. However, even at full strength, he thinks the defensive front is having to rely on too much youth and inexperience.
“Now, once they get Skalski and they get Tyler Davis and they get Mike Jones and they get all their pieces back, then we can truly evaluate them," Herbstreit said. "But I don’t know, man. On the defensive line, especially on the edges, it just doesn’t quite feel like what they’ve had. I mean, they’ve always had a guy that you were terrified of, and I don’t know, man. Right now, I think they’re still developing those guys, but they don’t have them right now.”
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top righthand corner of the page.
