Clemson Football: Five things we learned about the Tigers vs Charleston Southern

This defense can be very good

We must be level-headed about what we take from a game against an FCS opponent, especially one like Charleston Southern. They look like they are going to be moving in the right direction under their new head coach, but they are just getting started and it wasn’t realistic to believe they would be a threat to the Tiger defense.

That being acknowledged, the defense did exactly what they needed to do Saturday. They held the Buccaneers to 74 total yards and four first downs. They had ten tackles for a loss including two sacks.

When the reserves came into the game in the fourth quarter, I liked what I saw from them as well. This defensive unit played smart football on Saturday.

Next week’s contest against Florida Atlantic will be a step up from the challenge of playing an FCS team. They might be Group of Five but they definitely have more capability than the Bucs. Head coach Tom Herman might have underwhelmed at Texas, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a good offensive football mind. I fully expect him to have a game plan to attack any weak spots he has seen in Clemson’s film.

I’m also of the opinion that what happens on offense, especially with Klubnik, impacts this defense. They are more energized and encouraged when they have confidence in what the offense is accomplishing and tend to drag when the offense is not having success.