Clemson’s home against Louisiana Tech on Saturday at 8 pm could be a test for the Tigers’ secondary.
The visiting Bulldogs threw for 336 yards in their Week 1 game against the SEC’s Missouri Tigers, and La. Tech has averaged 7.5 yards per pass attempt.
Last week against Furman, No. 5 Clemson allowed 264 passing yards, including 6.4 yards per attempt. That was up from giving up just 4.4 yards per pass to Georgia Tech on Labor Day.
The Tigers aren’t quite proven yet at cornerback this season, which is exactly why Fred Davis II has an opportunity to build off his performance last time out. The junior had six tackles in nine games last season. He had seven against Furman alone.
“Against Georgia Tech I made two missed tackles. It could’ve been better, just seeing the right thing, eyes and coverage,” Davis said. “From Week 1 to Week 2…we sharpened that up and made some plays.”
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Preview and Prediction: Louisiana Tech at Clemson
For the first time this season, the Clemson Tigers will play on a normal cadence this week when the team hosts the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on Saturday, Sept. 17. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium is set for 8 pm ET.
Davis also broke up a pass that was intercepted by Barrett Carter and recovered his first career fumble. It was the first big performance of his three-year career.
“Last year I had situations going on and then I was injured,” Davis said. “I got injured in the third game, out five to six weeks. I’ve been learning from the older guys from last year. They’ve been coaching me up and being great role models. This year, I had a great fall camp and I just want to continue to get better, continue to learn and do what I can to help the team.”
Clemson is going to need even more out of him moving forward. The Tigers went into this year replacing their top two cornerbacks, Andrew Booth Jr. and Mario Goodrich, from last season.
Davis entered this season battling senior Sheridan Jones and sophomore Nate Wiggins for one of the two starting cornerback spots. All three have been listed as starters on the depth chart with the “or” label.
Through games against Georgia Tech and Furman, Davis has played 36 and 37 snaps, respectively. Wiggins played 49 against GT and 33 against the Paladins. The split for Jones was 37-37.
It’s been a pretty even run for all three, but Davis could create some separation with another big outing, and this game, against a La. Tech team that will put the ball in the air, will be a good indicator if he’s emerging as “the guy” among that cornerback group.
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