Goodwin says his defense went on the attack this week

Clemson's defense recorded four sacks against Louisville.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sun Nov 13 10:32:03 GMT-04:00 2022

CLEMSON – Clemson’s defense was attacked by the Notre Dame offense last week but wanted to go on the attack this week against Louisville. The Tigers did just that from the start and recorded four sacks and nine tackles for loss in a 31-16 victory.

The defense was without starting WILL (weakside) linebacker Trenton Simpson, but Barrett Carter moved from the SAM (strong) to the WILL and had one of his best days as a Tiger.

“He was flying around, really productive, with eight tackles, two sacks, and 3 1/2 TFLs (tackles for loss), and he is as solid a player as we have in our program,” defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin said. “I couldn't be prouder of him. Just the work he put into transition and play our WILL backer tonight. All his hard work came to fruition for all the world to see. He can play any position that we ask him to in the linebacker room. He excelled tonight and it was fun to watch him fly around.”

Louisville gained 150 yards on the ground, but 97 of those came on three plays.

“We gave up some bad runs at times, That third-and-long. But overall, I thought our guys really responded and played great run defense,” Goodwin said. “We played aggressively and got after folks. I thought it was a good job by our front seven.”

After giving up 263 yards on the ground to Notre Dame last week, the Tigers decided to attack instead of waiting to be attacked.

“That was the huge challenge this week. Just wanted to see guys respond. We really challenged that it is about mindset and the next-play mentality,” Goodwin said. “I thought this was an unbelievable week of preparation. There was great energy and focus and attention to details. This was a huge challenge and they were playing as well as anybody in the country and they had a lot of confidence. The guys rose to the challenge tonight. Our whole message (to the defense) was we were going to attack. We are going to be aggressive and take the fight to them. The guys responded. They felt really confident and they were locked in tonight.”

Freshman linebacker Wade Woodaz stepped into Carter’s spot and recorded three tackles, a forced fumbles, and 1 1/5 tackles for loss.

“Moving Barrett over, we needed a bigger body when they went 12 personnel (two tight ends, one running back). I think he played really well,” Goodwin said. “He prepares as well as any freshman I've been around. He is always asking questions and wants to do it how we coach it.”

Goodwin thinks the defense will only get better with time.

“We are still growing. Guys are continuing to grow in their roles,” he said. “Every week there is a new offense and new game plan and there are different looks and different schemes and our guys are getting more confident every week.”