Tigers' Back-Seven Ready to be Tested

The Clemson Tiger defense has been one of the best, not only in the nation, but in school history.

Clemson did lose five defensive linemen — Clelin Ferrell, Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence, Austin Bryant and Albert Huggins — to the NFL after 2018, but head coach Dabo Swinney has pointed out that Clemson’s 2019 defense has statistically outperformed Clemson’s top-ranked scoring defense from 2018 despite the departure of whom he called “the freakazoids up front.”

Despite their absence, the defense’s performance under Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables in 2019 has been historic and in some cases unprecedented. The Tigers opened the season by keeping each of their first 12 opponents to fewer than 300 yards, marking the first time in ESPN Stats & Info searchable data going back to 1996 that a team had held the first 12 opponents of a season under that mark.

Clemson has not surrendered more than 20 points since the 2018 regular season finale and has now held 16 consecutive opponents to 20 or fewer points

Tiger safety Tanner Muse summed up the difference in this year's defense with one word — quicker.

"I think this defense is a little quicker," Muse said. "I think on the back end, we were just getting started. Just getting our groove together. I know that was Isaiah's first time playing Sam and a couple of other guys at corner and things like that.

"But all in all, we had a great front-line that helped us cover it up, you know. But this year, we're building a really strong back end. We're kind of young on the front end. So we've definitely been trying to help them, but it's been a whole year. They've definitely grown up. I think just the speed that we have on our back end is just really, really good."

That back end was a talking point even before the season began.

Prior to the season, Swinney pointed to the leadership and talent in his back seven, which he said was the best back-seven of his tenure at Clemson.

The leadership and production in that group has led Clemson to at least a share of the national lead in points allowed per game (10.6, first), pass yards allowed per game (138.5, first), total yards allowed per game (244.7, first), opponent first downs per game (12.4, first), opponent completions (170, first), opponent passer rating (92.81, first), opponent completion percentage (50.3, tied for first) and opponent yards per pass attempt (5.3, tied for first).

For Muse and his teammates in the secondary, will face a challenge the likes of which they have not faced this season when they take on a bevy of ultra-talented wide receivers Saturday (8 p.m., ESPN) in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl.

"Definitely really good (receivers). Crafty route runners, speed, whole the 9 yards," Muse said. "I think the tight ends do a great job as well just being receivers, as well as the quarterback. You can't really take a play off when you're covering those guys because they're always very dangerous. So looking into that, you've just got to be able to understand your scheme, understand where your help is and just be locked down the best you can."

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