Overnight Sensation: TJ Parker
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This week's Overnight Sensation, freshman defensive end, TJ Parker, led the Tigers to victory on Saturday against the Syracuse Orange.
The 6-3, 255-pound true freshman from Phenix City, Alabama, ended the 31-14 victory with five total tackles, two solo tackles, and was credited with two sacks. Parker is another true freshman on Clemson’s roster that has immediately impacted the team.
The freshman star leads the team with three total sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss on the season. He wants to prove that Clemson football is not going anywhere and that the team is going to continue to play their best games.
“We still believe in our season. We got back to work– worked hard all week, so we can prove to people that we are not going anywhere.”
The entire Clemson defense had a great day against previously undefeated Syracuse. The Orange relied heavily on their rushing offense, which the Tigers put a stop to. Against Purdue two weeks ago, quarterback Garrett Shrader rushed for 195 yards and scored 4 rushing touchdowns; the Tigers held him to just 24 yards on Saturday.
Parker commented on Shrader’s run ability in his post game interview.
“Shrader runs the ball a lot. The offense runs through him… I think he was averaging near 100 yards rushing. We did a good job containing him today. I think he had 24 rushing yards today. We knew coming into the game that they were gonna be a run-heavy team. Once we stopped the run, it opened up a lot of things for us in the pass rush and things like that.”
This week, Clemson turns their sights toward another conference foe, Wake Forest. The Tigers take on the Demon Deacons in Death Valley on Saturday. The game is scheduled for a 3:30 PM kickoff on the ACC Network.
Who will be our next Overnight Sensation? Keep up with ClemsonSportsTalk.com to find out!