Through eight games, Clemson has shown it has one of the best situational defenses in college football. While it may be a bit of the bend, don't break variety, the Tigers tend to save their best football on defense in critical down situations. Whether it be on third down or even on fourth down, the Tigers always seem to make the play to force the punt. Tom Allen has really found himself of late.
Here are the 10 best teams in the country when it comes to getting big third- and fourth-down stops.
- Duke Blue Devils: 72.1 percent
- UCLA Bruins: 71.9 percent
- Nebraska Cornhuskers: 71.8 percent
- Liberty Flames: 70.9 percent
- Minnesota Golden Gophers: 69.8 percent
- Boise State Broncos: 69.0 percent
- LSU Tigers: 68.8 percent
- Tennessee Volunteers: 68.7 percent
- Clemson Tigers: 68.6 percent
- Oklahoma Sooners: 68.1 percent
Clemson is one of only 22 teams in the country who get its defense off the field on third and fourth down at least two-thirds of the time. Being that efficient in those crucial spots is a testament to the coaching Allen has put forth, as well as his putting his full trust and faith into his stars to go execute. Having elite players like Sammy Brown, Ashton Hampton, and Will Heldt on defense certainly helps.
One of the smartest things Allen has done this year is kick former defensive end Darien Mayo inside and transform him into a more effective defensive tackle. This move has gotten more production out of Mayo, the defensive tackle rotation as a whole, and has afforded more opportunities for guys like Caden Story to make more plays out on the edge. It is all starting to come together for this defense.
How Often Do You Get Stops On 3rd/4th Downs? pic.twitter.com/emxA0xRHBN
— The Fourth Quarter (@4thQuarterCFB00) November 5, 2026
Clemson could finally meet its match defensively when taking on Duke
Of the handful of things to take the most pride in Clemson for this season, it has to be the great situational football Allen is getting consistently out of his defense. Outside of the two blowout losses to LSU and Miami, Clemson has done an incredible job of not giving up explosive plays, especially in the passing game. However, the Tigers do have to get better in red-zone defense moving forward.
Right now, Clemson is situated behind four major College Football Playoff contenders: UCLA (No. 2), Boise State (No. 6), LSU (No. 7), and Tennessee (No. 8). Of course, the Tigers will also have to take on the best team in terms of defensive situational football here in a few weeks in Duke at a 72.1-percent efficiency rate. That could make the Week 12 road matchup even more challenging for Tait Reynolds.
This harkens back to how important it is for Reynolds to play well against Syracuse and Georgia Tech. Duke is not going to make it easy on him on third and fourth down. While South Carolina only has a 59.2 success rate in getting off the field on third and fourth down, the Gamecocks do have LaNorris Sellers at quarterback. When he is at his best, he can be among the best players in the entire country.
To wrap this up, for as great as it is to see Clemson be this proficient in critical down-and-distance situations, this is still only a team that is one game above .500. Again, it all comes back to the offense. While the defense and special teams units have been mostly great all season long, Clemson's inability to score points with any regularity is why the Tigers are not a part of any serious playoff discussions.
Despite plenty of reasons to upgrade the offense, getting Allen back for another year is a top priority.
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