This past Saturday Clemson Football annihilated the Appalachian State Mountaineers, 66-20, at Memorial Stadium. The Tigers defense had their highs and lows against Georgia in their season-opener but prevailed in their dominant win.
While the Clemson offense was the biggest trending topic to come out of the contest, here are the position grades for the Clemson Tigers’ defense:
Safeties: A-
With the linebacker and defensive line units gaining a lot of prominence at Clemson over the past few years, the secondary in general doesn’t seem to get too much love from time to time. But it was a different story this past weekend, with multiple safeties showcasing their elite talent; veterans and new-comers.
Safeties Sherrod Covil Jr. and Kylon Griffin both had five tackles, tying second for the team-high, and a pass-deflection each. Griffin started against Georgia but didn’t have the greatest performance so it’s always good to see the young guys get a second opportunity and run with it. In addition, Covil Jr. might also see more action on the field after his performance. At the moment, he is the third-string nickel back behind CB Shelton Lewis and S Khalil Barnes, but rotations and defensive schemes at the position could easily change that.
True-freshmen Ricardo Jones also had three tackles and made headlines with a nasty interception in the second-half.
Veteran R.J. Mickens played but recorded no stats due to how dominant the offense was in the first-half, leading him to not playing past halftime.
Cornerbacks: B
The biggest takeaway from the cornerback room after this game was that Avieon Terrell is going to be a very special player for this Tigers defense in the future, just like his brother was. While he’s only a sophomore, he’s already solidified his CB1 spot and will only grow year-by-year. Terrell was targeted eight different times, letting up just two catches for 17 yards. He had two tackles and three pass-breakups (4 PBU’s according to ESPN).
Khalil Barnes and Shelton Lewis also contributed to the pass defense with Barnes recording one pass-deflection and Lewis recording two; with one that could’ve been an interception or even pick-six. Nevertheless, Lewis played amazing at the position for a player coming off a recent injury.
True-freshmen Ashton Hampton also got a lot of time on-field in the second-half, recording four total tackles. My personal favorite sight of the night from the cornerback room other than Terrell’s performance was seeing Clemson WR Ronan Hanafin, playing defensive back. He recently switched his position over the off-season and recorded two tackles against Appalachian State.
Linebackers: B
Former five-star prospect and true freshman LB Sammy Brown played zero defensive snaps in the game against Georgia. However, it was a different story in Week 2, as he led the team in tackles with nine and won Clemson’s special teams MVP. We should be seeing a lot more of this young stud in the near future.
Wade Woodaz also had a solid showing in the first-half, recording three tackles, including one for a loss. There were a multitude of young guys who also got playing time, this list includes, but is not limited to: Dee Crayton, Rob Billings, and Fletcher Cothran.
Defensive Line: A
The starting front stole the show on Saturday night, with the first strings to the younger players being able to force constant pressure on quarterback Joey Aguilar and the Appalachian State offense.
The usual suspects of DeMonte Capehart, T.J. Parker and Tré Williams were able to force pressure early and stop the Mountaineer offense early on, which allowed for the first quarter rout on offense for the Tigers. The only downside was the injury to Peter Woods, who suffered a left leg injury in the game and had to leave halfway through the first half. Clemson hope to have Woods back before NC State next weekend.
When it came to the second strings, Stephiylan Green caught my eye with two tackles for a loss and a sack. Freshman Champ Thompson also had two tackles in his first snaps as a Tiger in his young career.
Levi Matthews had an incredible, acrobatic interception in garbage time to give the Tigers the ball back as well. The extra-hustle plays always have implications down the line, and Matthews made a great play in the limited snaps that he had.
Despite only one sack on the defensive side, Clemson’s pressure was enough for Aguilar to get the ball out early and force tough catches, which allowed for a lot of success on that side of the ball.
