Clemson moved to 3-1 after beating Stanford last night, but for the first 15 minutes, the Cardinals looked impressive. They ran the ball at will, rushing for over 100 yards in the first quarter. However, Clemson's defense came in clutch, forcing turnovers on Stanford's first three drives. Because of that, the Cardinals finished with 236 yards on the ground but put up only 14 points.
Although he didn't record a turnover, Barrett Carter was the most crucial defensive player for Clemson. That's why he's this week's Tiger of the Week.
With ten total tackles, Carter led the team along with RJ Mickens and Wade Woodaz. But what Woodaz and Mickens didn't have was five solo tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack, and a quarterback hurry.
Carter lived in Stanford's backfield. He came alive in the second half, recording five tackles, 2.5 TFLs, and a sack. Altogether, Clemson had four sacks, making it nearly impossible for Stanford to throw the ball, but it was Carter leading a frenzy of TFLs in the final 30 minutes that put a damper on Stanford's rushing attack.