Clemson Tigers LB Focusing on the 'Little Things' After Opening Week

Last weekend, the Clemson Tigers’ defense was the main positive during the team’s loss to LSU. 

Despite holding one of the top offenses to only 17 points, linebacker Sammy Brown says that there were fixes that needed to be made ahead of the rest of the season.

“We do have some stuff to work on, but we played very well,” Brown said. “We’ve got some things we need to work on because we went into the half up. There’s no reason that we shouldn’t have won the game. Obviously, we did play better, but still a lot of things that we can fix and we can work on.”

The sophomore linebacker spoke to the media on Wednesday, acknowledging certain issues that the defense had during last Saturday night’s game. For starters, defensive coordinator Tom Allen brought up penalties, which the Tigers gave six penalties for 57 yards. 

However, Brown reassures that the issues aren’t long-term issues. They are simple fixes. 

“It’s a lot of easy things, it's nothing personell or anything like that,” Brown said. “It’s really easy things, like focusing on the little, small things. It always comes back to the little small things, like holding onto a jersey or, first play of the game, giving up a big run, things like that.”

Under new defensive coordinator Tom Allen, the team sets out goals for each game. Of those goals includes takeaways and holding . The team was a takeaway short of achieving its goal as well as holding the run game to under 3.5 yards per carry.

“We were actually 0.1 yard off of our yards per carry goal, so obviously we still have to work and we still have to get better,” Brown said. “I hope by the end of the season, it’s close to nothing.”

Nevertheless, the team is showing strides under Allen. 

It’s not only the new coordinator who is helping Brown, but it’s the new linebackers coach, Ben Bouleware, as well. Bouleware played for the Tigers from 2013-16, and knows where the corrections need to be made from playing on the same field. 

Brown likes the new addition to the coaching staff, watching Bouleware fix different situations that saw defensive holes. 

“It is good, and the biggest thing is I know that he knows what he’s talking about because he’s made that stop before,” Brown said. “He made that correction before, so it gives me more confidence coming from him to know that he’s played the game before.”

At the end of the day, it’s going to be the unit’s effort that shines through, which Brown has seen already impact certain times against LSU. 

“With effort, that’s what Coach Allen prides himself in,” he said. “When you’re playing with high effort, even when you do mess up, you’re still going to be around the ball and you can still make a play. There have been times when I have not fit the right gap or didn’t drop to the right place, but I was playing so hard that the effort made up for it.”

Like Brown said before, it’s the little things that need to be fixed, which is what Allen and Bouleware take great pride in. As Clemson prepares for the rest of the season and begin ACC play, the linebacker will see the efforts increase due to focusing on the little thins.  

“The biggest thing with Coach Allen and Boulware is that they're so adamant about the little things,” Brown said. “Like I said, it was the little, small things in the game that made the difference, so if we come into practice more focused on the little things, it’s going to add up, and all of the little things create one big group.”