Clemson sophomore gives Saturday's defensive performance a C-

During the 35-12 victory over Furman on Saturday, No. 5 Clemson forced two turnovers.

Cornerback Malcolm Greene forced a second-quarter fumble by stripping receiver Ryan Miller on the Tigers' 8-yard line. The ball was recovered by cornerback Fred Davis on the 10 to keep the Paladins from scoring on a promising drive. 

Davis was also involved in a third-quarter Furman miscue. He deflected the pass of quarterback Tyler Huff, and linebacker Barrett Carter made a diving interception. 

Carter and Davis are new starters, and both spoke after the win. 

Barrett Carter 

On the difficulty of defending a Furman offense that gained 384 total yards. 

"They're a well-coached team. They threw a lot of different stuff at us. We prepared very well, but sometimes they just do stuff that you're just not prepared for. We had to make adjustments on the fly."

On the grade he would give the overall defensive performance:

"I'm going to say C-. I know what we can do. I know what we're capable of, and that wasn't the Clemson standard. So, we got to bounce back and just prepare [for] next week."

On if playing on Monday affected their play on Saturday: 

"I think definitely, it's different. It was an adjustment, but we can't make any excuses for how we played. So, I think we got to come back next week with a better mindset."

On his third-quarter interception:

"I wanted to make a tackle, and I saw the ball in the air. I should have scored. I'm not happy about it. I'm mad. I'm glad I could make the play. I'm glad that we could get off the field."

Fred Davis

On the second quarter fumble recovery:

"Malcolm hit it out-- and then I saw green grass. But I forgot there was a dude right next to me that tackled me. So I'm like, ‘dang’, I definitely wanted to get some extra yards and celebrate with my team."

On his ascension to co-starter and what's it like to play more snaps this season:

"Last year, I had situations going on, and then I was injured. I got injured in the third game, out for five or six weeks with my ankle injury. I've been learning from the older guys from last year and they've been coaching me up, being great role models. Then coming in this year, I had a great fall camp. I just want to continue to get better and continue to learn by doing anything I can to help the team."

On whether it was humbling as a defense after the performance on Saturday:

"It was humbling because we really look at everybody as an equal opponent. We don't look down on nobody. They [Furman] just came out there and competed very well. And we just know what we got to work on and how we are going to come back."