K.J. Henry Addresses Inconsistencies With Clemson Defense
Through the season's first eight games, the Tigers have been up and down on the defensive side of the ball.
It was a trend that continued in No. 5 Clemson's 27-21 come-from-behind win over No. 16 Syracuse, as the unit allowed the Orange to rack up more than 200 yards of offense in the first half.
However, the second half was an entirely different story, as the Tigers shut Syracuse out over the final two quarters. The Orange were limited to just 119 yards of offense in the final half and failed to score on their final eight possessions.
Those inconsistencies on the defensive side of the ball have been one of the biggest talking points of the season as Clemson heads into an open date and eight weeks in, the Tigers are still looking for answers.
"I've been asked that question so many times in the last few weeks, whether it be (media), coaches, parents, whatever," K.J. Henry said when asked about the inconsistencies. "For the most part, it's been I don't know, as much as I'd love to be able to pinpoint the exact problem. Because then we'd attack it. I can't really speak to it."
Henry did offer up a theory, though, suggesting, at times, many of the breakdowns are of the mental variety, even admitting that he can be better, as well.
"If I had to guess I'd say it's probably between the ears for a lot of the guys," he said.
“I’m not playing perfect either. I have some work to do.”
Currently, the Tigers are 27th in the country in total defense (332.5 YPG), 19th in scoring defense (19.88 PPG) and 8th when it comes to defending the run (87.9 YPG). At the same time, the pass defense ranks just 91st (244.6 YPG) nationally.
Addressing those issues start in the film room and on the practice field, with Henry noting the players need to be better at trusting in the gameplan, as well as what they are seeing on the field.
"Taking what we learned through the week, and really just applying it from the get-go," Henry said. "I think, especially in this past game, we knew Schrader was a great dual-threat quarterback and really loved to run the ball. That was something that was not in question. And the coaches did a great job preparing us for that during the week. But it seemed like it took us until halftime to kind of like believe it with our own eyes, as a defense.
"If I had to try and pinpoint the exact issue, I think that's kind of where we are. We have to just trust what we've been studying all week. We're nine games in, nine weeks, and we'll get some nuances because people are trying to beat us, but I mean, people are who they are at this point in the season. So we really got to trust the preparation and have confidence from that. I think that's kind of where we have to grow as a defense."
At the end of the day, the Tigers are still 8-0, are in complete control of the ACC Atlantic, and all of the team's goals are still on the table, including a return to the College Football Playoff. While the defense is certainly happy to be in that position, Henry noted the group knows it can be better and is still working on putting together a full four quarters of football.
"It's a balancing act because we want to so bad," Henry said. "I mean, we are working day in and day out to literally just impose our will on the next opponent."
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