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QUESTION: How concerned should Clemson be after its defensive struggles against South Carolina?
This is really a two-part answer instead of one blanket statement.
The first part: No. Not at all.
South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley had been playing well the past month. He and Gamecock receiver Deebo Samuel are very talented players. Clemson played a poor first half but tightened up in the second half. Defensive coordinator Brent Venables was understandably angry. One should fully expect him to get things right against a Pittsburgh Panther passing attack which is not very formidable at all. The ACC Championship Game should not be a tough test for the Tigers. Then they would get four weeks off before a likely playoff semifinal against Notre Dame, which simply doesn’t have the high-end athleticism of either Oklahoma or Ohio State, two teams which would pose a lot more matchup problems for Clemson.
This leads to the second part of the answer: HELL YES.
This second part of the answer refers to a possible (some would say likely) national championship game against Alabama.
Even if Clemson locks down Notre Dame in the semis (assuming, of course, that’s the matchup), the Crimson Tide and Tua Tagovailoa would present an entirely different level of difficulty in Santa Clara, California. That’s when Clemson might not have enough answers.
Pitt and Notre Dame? That shouldn’t be hard to handle.
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