CLEMSON — Clemson football's rush defense has turned into a liability.

No. 22 Louisville rushed for 210 yards and averaged 7.8 yards per carry, the most Clemson has given up this season, to upset the No. 23 Tigers (6-2, 5-1 ACC) 33-21 on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. The Cardinals had six rushing big plays — runs of 10-plus yards — for 166 yards, including four rushes over 20 yards. They even had the ball on their 47-yard line before halftime and gained all of their yards by running to score a touchdown.

"I thought we got our butts kicked," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. "I didn't think we were physical enough, didn't play hard enough. You just burn the tape."

Clemson failed to set the edge, especially on a 47-yard end-around play in the first quarter, fill gaps correctly, defeat blockers and secure tackles. Linebacker Wade Woodaz led the team in tackles with 11, but five defensive backs followed, displaying how often Louisville runners entered the defense's second level.

Clemson ranks 59th in rush defense in FBS, allowing 140 yards per game, and is tied for 61st in yards per carry allowed with 4.61. After giving up at least 145 rushing yards in its first four games, it mitigated the issue in its next three games, allowing 177 rushing yards total. Yet, Clemson reverted to its old ways against Louisville after its open date.

"We haven’t played like a Clemson defense should play this whole year," said linebacker Barrett Carter, who only had one tackle Saturday. "I know there’s still time for us to show that we can be elite (and) be up there with the best of them. We have the right guys in the locker room … I have no doubt that we’ll be OK."

These fundamental issues have been present all season, but Clemson's six-game win streak suppressed them. Yet, when multiple Clemson defensive linemen were injured during the Louisville game, including Peter Woods, DeMonte Capehart and Tré Williams, inexperienced players replaced them, and the Cardinals' injury-riddled offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage.

"They've done a lot of good things at times, but again, we've been a little too feast or famine, but I thought (Saturday) was the worst game we played all year," Swinney said.

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More concerning, Clemson's run defense is on a downward trend in recent years. In former Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables's final season in 2021, it allowed 97.5 yards, seventh in the country. When Wes Goodwin took over in 2022, the unit dropped to 102.7 yards (13th in FBS) in the category then fell to 114.6 (24th) the following year.

During those two seasons under Goodwin, Clemson had superb talent on the defensive line, including Myles Murphy, Bryan Breese, KJ Henry, Ruke Orhorhoro, Xavier Thomas and Tyler Davis, all of whom were taken in the NFL draft.

Swinney believes this year's team is just as talented as those past Clemson teams, which is a reason he didn't add a player in the transfer portal last cycle. The regular defensive line starters are Woods, Capehart, Payton Page and T.J. Parker, but if any of those players exit, less-experienced players enter in their place.

The Tigers sit at No. 59 in run defense with their next challenge on the road against Virginia Tech (5-4, 3-2), a team that averages 201.4 yards rushing, which ranks 26th in the nation, on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Lane Stadium. To fix its run defense, Swinney said the players need to improve, and coaches, himself included, must teach them better to correct "routine" things.

Clemson's shocking loss to Louisville has given it a slim chance to make the College Football Playoff.

"My momma didn't force me to play this sport. My dad didn't force me to play this sport. I chose to play the position I'm in, so I just got to do my job," defensive back Khalil Barnes said. "That's the same with everybody in this defense. … At the end of the day, we just got to man up and get our job done"

Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson football: Dabo Swinney run defense has fallen off in 2024