Emotional Venables recaps injuries, tiring loss to NC State

Baylon Spector had 19 tackles to lead the defense.

by Zachary Wagner - Correspondent - Sun Sep 26 15:44:03 GMT-04:00 2021

The Clemson defense tried to do everything it could to help out the offense on Saturday afternoon inside of Carter-Finley Stadium, but back-to-back touchdowns in overtime from North Carolina State were too much for the Tigers as they fell to the Wolfpack for the first time since 2011.

The Tigers gave up 386 yards of total offense, and some timely mistakes and penalties allowed NC State to hang in the game. The secondary allowed over 230 yards through the air and couldn't come up with the pass breakup or tip when needed.

Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables said that it was a tough night for his defense some lessons.

“In a game like this, you have to play smart and disciplined,” Venables said after the loss. “It’s a tough night to learn a lesson. We were jumping offsides multiple times, and that was putting them in manageable third-down situations. We have to do a better job from a discipline standpoint.”

The Wolfpack ran 96 plays compared to Clemson’s 49 on the afternoon. NC State also dominated the time of possession, controlling the ball for over 40 minutes of game time. The defense was tired and seemed like they couldn’t get a break from the field after the offense went three-and-out time and time again.

“It has a culminating effect,” Venables said. “You have to play efficiently and get off the field, and guys have to bite down and take more reps than we really want them to take. I’m just thankful for the pride I have in our guys. They always fight, never quit, and they show love for each other and for the university.”

The Tigers lost some key players on the defensive side of the ball Saturday as well, with sixth-year defensive leader James Skalski in the first half (shoulder), and sophomore defensive tackle standout Bryan Bresee in the second half (knee).

An emotional Brent Venables talked about his players and how much they mean to his group and the team.

“You don’t know how hard they have worked,” Venables said, fighting back tears. “They love each other, they love to compete, so I hate that for them. We have a lot of young guys that stepped up and I was proud of their effort as well.”

The Clemson defense allowed its first offensive touchdown of the season against the Wolfpack, and it struggled to slow them down in the second half. Clemson will have a chance to rebound next weekend against Boston College inside of Death Valley in primetime at 7:30 p.m.