CLEMSON — Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney had mixed emotions about his defense on Saturday.

The Tigers (3-1, 2-0 ACC) took down Stanford (2-2, 1-1) 40-14 at Memorial Stadium, but their defense gave up 230 yards, including 168 rushing, were 5-for-10 on third downs and allowed the Cardinal's offense into their territory three times.

"Defensively, really terrible in the first half. Just really poor," Swinney said. "They had a few things that we weren't ready for."

Yet Swinney was enthusiastic about how his team performed in red zone defense, which entered Saturday tied for 99th in the category. Stanford went 1-for-4 in the red zone, scoring a touchdown only at the end of the second quarter.

Cornerbacks Avieon Terrell and Jeadyn Lukus both recorded an interception on back-to-back Stanford red zone possessions in the first quarter, and the Tigers' defense forced a turnover on downs in the red zone in the third quarter.

Clemson held Stanford without points on three of its four red zone possessions for the first time since the 2022 ACC championship game. Clemson's defense didn't bend or break; it made decisive plays to stall the West Coast team.

"To see our defense make those plays, that will give them a lot of confidence," Swinney said. "If you just do your job (in the red zone), it shouldn't be hard because it's a small field, (and) you don't have a lot of room to stretch the field."

The defense was crucial as Stanford stifled the Tigers' offense. Clemson scored a touchdown and field goal on its first two drives, then punted twice and had a turnover on the next three. To begin the second half, it scored a field goal, then punted twice again on the following drives. While the Tigers' offense kept Stanford around, their defense did not allow the Cardinal to capitalize on those stops.

With their offense facing adversity for the first time since Week 1 against Georgia, Saturday's game was a reminder that the Tigers have one of the best defenses in the nation. Despite giving up a plethora of yards, their starting unit gave up just one touchdown and shut down Stanford's offense in the second half.

Clemson's defense recorded three interceptions, forced turnovers on downs and logged four sacks to allow its fewest points of the season. It has not allowed a score in the first quarter in its first four games and is holding opponents to 8.3 points in the first half. Even without defensive lineman Peter Woods, the Tigers' defense has been the team's strength this season.

"Three takeaways is legit. You don't do that every game," Clemson freshman linebacker Sammy Brown said.

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Swinney's first-half frustration stemmed from the defense's inability to stop the run. It has allowed an average of 183.3 rushing yards in four games, and Stanford rushed for 236 on Saturday.

It was the fourth straight game Clemson gave up more than 140 yards rushing. Cardinal quarterback Ashton Daniels and running back Micah Ford gashed Clemson's defense with option-run plays, but the Tigers adjusted to Stanford's run scheme to hold it to 68 yards rushing in the second half.

"We knew we were going to get a lot of quarterback-run game, but they did a nice job with their scheme in the first half," Swinney said.

Clemson's defensive play gave its offense enough time to wake up and generate points in the second half. Despite Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik completing 48% of his passes, he had five total touchdowns (one rushing), three of them coming in the final two quarters.

Clemson displayed Saturday that if its offense runs into trouble, its defense will be there to hold teams to little or no points. Its defense isn't perfect, but it has the ability to make crucial plays to alter a game's outcome.

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's defense lifts Tigers to Stanford win