Clemson's Wes Goodwin Talks Defense, Eyes NC State After Early Season Split

Clemson defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin met with the media on Tuesday to offer his assessment of the Tigers' defense two games into the season. His team has already experienced the highs and lows, with a sobering 34-3 loss to No. 1 Georgia in week one, followed by a dominant 66-20 victory against Appalachian State in Death Valley. With a bye week under their belts, Clemson prepares for their ACC opener against NC State, and Goodwin sees both positive momentum and room for improvement within his unit.

Despite the up-and-down results, Goodwin is generally pleased with his group’s effort and execution, while acknowledging areas where the defense needs to improve.

"Guys [are] playing with great effort, great physicality, great energy," Goodwin said, assessing his unit's overall performance. "Tackling’s been pretty good, especially by our first unit. Nine missed tackles in the first game—early on in the App State game, they tackled well."

While tackling has largely been a bright spot, Goodwin emphasized the importance of maintaining discipline across the board.

"Just continue to harp on eye discipline, gap integrity, just playing with great fundamentals and great communication out back."

Clemson’s defense has faced challenges up front, managing just one sack through the first two games. But Goodwin explained that this stat isn’t solely on his pass rushers.

"I think it's more them getting rid of the football," Goodwin said, noting the quick-release strategy App State employed in Week 2. "Catch to throw on third down was like 2.1 seconds, and that's well below what you really need to get a good pass rush there... usually 2.7 to 2.8 seconds."

Goodwin acknowledged the difficulty of pressuring quarterbacks who make such quick decisions, adding, "Credit to them. They weren’t going to let us tee off on their quarterback."

Looking ahead to their matchup with NC State, Clemson's defense will need to adapt, particularly in slowing down the opposing quarterback’s decision-making. Goodwin hinted at a focus on confusing quarterbacks with pre-snap movement and coverage disguises.

"I think we can do some things out back, coverage-wise, to try to make quarterbacks hold the football," he said. "Always harping on pre-snap disguises, making everything look the same, or the same things look different, different things look the same."

The defensive front will also need to find ways to disrupt NC State’s quick passing game, especially with true freshman quarterback C.J. Bailey starting for the Wolfpack in place of the injured Grayson McCall.

Goodwin touched on the importance of coverage and how his defense plans to counteract quick releases. "It puts a premium on your coverage... or knowing that if the ball is coming out so quick, we can do a better job mirroring the hand, batted balls up front, that sort of thing as well."

One potential game-changer for Clemson is the return of former five-star defensive tackle Peter Woods. Listed as day-to-day by head coach Dabo Swinney, Woods’ availability could boost the Tigers’ defensive line just in time for their conference opener. Goodwin did not address Woods’ status directly, but Swinney's earlier optimism signals a possible return for the highly-touted lineman who was knocked out of the App State game by a chop block.

For Goodwin, the defense’s progression will depend on execution and maintaining the same energy his players showed in their first two games.

"For the most part, I'm pretty pleased with how we've communicated and adjusted out back, but there's always room for improvement," he said, remaining realistic about the challenge ahead.

The Tigers will look to take another step forward on Saturday as they open ACC play in Death Valley against the Wolfpack, who have won two out of three games against the Tigers in recent seasons.

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