The Clemson football program outlasted the Auburn Tigers 14-6, thanks to the play of Brent Venables’ elite defense.
Coming into the 2017 season, we knew that Clemson’s defense would be good, it was simply a matter of how good. There is only one word to describe Clemson’s defensive performance against Auburn tonight, dominant.
Led by a stout front seven, Clemson’s defense held Auburn to 117 total yards of offense. After driving down to Clemson’s 6-yd line on their opening drive, Auburn’s offense sputtered. Jarrett Stidham and company were unable to score a touchdown on the evening.
Clemson’s elite defensive line was on full display tonight, registering 11 sacks (one shy of tying a school record) and 13 tackles for loss. Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence plugged running lanes, while Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant applied constant pressure off of the edge.
It’s a good thing that the Venables’ defense played as well as they did, because Clemson’s offense was contained for majority of the night. Kelly Bryant was shaky early on, but, he finished strong, completing 19 of his 29 passing attempts for 181 yards. Most importantly, Bryant took care of the football.
Thoughts
Considering Clemson lost nearly 80 percent of their offensive production from a season ago, I’d say they performed well against Auburn. With all do respect to Kent State, they were no challenge for the Tigers.
Auburn on the other hand, is a legitimate top 15 opponent with a top-flight defense. I was most impressed with Bryant’s poise following some initial adversity. After returning from an injury scare, Bryant was able to throw the ball accurately and on time. He also continued his success on the ground against War Eagle, scampering for two rushing touchdowns.
Clemson’s defense was superb, that’s about all I can say on that front.
Next: 3 bold predictions vs. Auburn
While the Tigers have some things to clean up offensively, they proved that the talent is in place to make a run at a third consecutive College Football Playoff.