Georgia Not Buying Tigers Thin on Defensive Line

Kirby Smart is not buying all the talk about Clemson’s defensive line.

Though the Tigers lost three starters from last year’s defensive front, Georgia’s head coach says the top-ranked Bulldogs will see a talented and determined Clemson front when the 14 ^th -ranked Tigers take on Georgia in the Aflac Kickoff Classic Saturday from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

“When you look at them on paper, you say they only have a certain amount of defensive starters, but two of their best players, statistically, are back, and they were freshmen,” Smart said Monday. “Technically, they did not start, but those guys were dominant players.”

Those guys Smart spoke so highly of are defensive end T.J. Parker and lineman Peter Woods.

“Parker and Peter Woods, both, were really good players. We knew about those guys in recruiting,” Smart said. “They are tremendous athletes. They are both very productive with other guys coming back. They have experienced guys coming back.”

Parker was a Freshman All-American last season. He played in all 13 games and started three of them. He was second on the team with 12.5 tackles for loss and was tied for the team lead in sacks with 5.5. He had 41 tackles overall, two deflected passes and 10 quarterback pressures.

Woods, who is expected to play mostly at defensive end this year after moving over there in the spring, played in 12 games and started two of them as a true freshman.

Though he is 6-foot-2 and weighs 315 pounds, Woods is one of the more athletic defensive linemen in the country. He has power, speed and quickness that allows him to play multiple positions along the defensive line.

Last year, Woods tallied 27 tackles as a defensive tackle, had 2.5 tackles for loss and 10 quarterback pressures.

“When you look across the defensive front, Clemson is never going to be short there,” Smart said. “They have twitchy, fast and hard playing guys.”

The Tigers also return veteran players in Tre Williams, DeMonte Capehart and Payton Page across the defensive front.

Last year, Clemson led the ACC and ranked eighth nationally in total defense, allowing just 287.8 yards per game. The Tigers were just ahead on Georgia, who gave up 289.1 yards per game.

“The linebacking crew is extremely instinctive and well coached. They carried over from when Brent (Venables) left,” Smart said. “They don’t miss things in terms of keys and recognition. They play really hard on defense.”