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CLEMSON — From the first snap of Saturday’s spring game, it was clear Clemson football’s defensive line will be a force in 2024.
The lines on the Orange and White teams accounted for nine sacks, 15 tackles for loss, three pass breakups and an interception, courtesy of Jaheim Lawson. To avoid injuries to the quarterbacks, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney gave them non-contact status and quickly whistled a sack whenever a defender got within arms’ length of the quarterbacks.
When asked how to clean up the offensive line’s performance, Swinney had a quick solution.
“Well, we’ll put our team together and that’ll help,” Swinney said jokingly. “When you know you’re good on defense, it’s one of those things you probably expect when you split your team.”
Despite returning none of their defensive line starters from 2023 — Xavier Thomas, Ruke Orhorhoro, Tyler Davis and Justin Mascoll — because of the NFL Draft or expiring eligibility, Tigers coaches and players have been vocal about the defensive line depth during spring practices.
The Tigers have always had a knack of producing prominent defensive line talent under Swinney, notably Christian Wilkins, Vic Beasley, Myles Murphy and Dexter Lawrence. Saturday’s game showcased why. Both defensive lines dominated, controlling the line of scrimmage with Team White allowing 1.6 yards per carry on 28 rushing attempts and Team Orange giving up a rushing average of 2.4 yards on 25 carries.
Peter Woods, who was out Saturday because of mononucleosis, and Caden Story’s move to defensive end from defensive tackle has allowed others to step up. Payton Page, Tre Williams, Stephiylan Green and Demonte Capehart are among the players who have received increased snaps, and Green displayed his growth Saturday, recording four sacks. He played only 13 defensive snaps over two games last season while…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/clemson-footballs-revamped-defensive-lines-234238284.html
Author : Greenville News
Publish date : 2024-04-06 23:42:38
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