Secondary coverage primarily effective

Clemson defensive coordinator Vic Koenning said the Tigers did nothing different in their secondary coverage schemes on Saturday against Duke.

Clemson safety Michael Hamlin wasn't so sure.

Hamlin, a senior, said the Tigers played a lot more "zero man" coverage against the Blue Devils than they've done all season. In layman's terms, "zero man" coverage is man-to-man coverage by the cornerbacks without help from the safeties.

Under Koenning, the Tigers have traditionally been more of a zone coverage team than a man coverage team in the secondary.

"We did a lot more press man and zero man against Duke," Hamlin said. "We wanted to get after them and challenge them to throw the ball deep on us."

One of the reasons for so much "zero man" coverage was that Koenning decided to be more aggressive against the Blue Devils and blitz more. More blitzing usually translates into more man coverage.

"I liked it," Hamlin said. "I like the challenge. We were able to get a lot more pressure on the quarterback and be more aggressive."

Hamlin isn't so sure the Tigers will do the same thing this weekend against Virginia.

"Coach (Koenning) is going to come up with a great game plan, no matter what we do," Hamlin said. "But I like what we did against Duke."

Spiller earns ACC honors

Clemson interim coach Dabo Swinney has made running back C.J. Spiller the focal point on the Tigers' offense the last two weeks.

Spiller put up some career numbers against the Blue Devils and was named the ACC Offensive Back of the Week.

Spiller established a Clemson record for reception yardage by a Tigers running back in the victory over Duke. Spiller had seven receptions for 108 yards, breaking the record held by himself (105 vs. Boston College two weeks ago), and Ray Mathews, who had 105 receiving yards against Mississippi State in 1948.

Spiller also had 10 rushes for 71 yards and two punt returns for 22 yards. That gave him 19 touches for 201 all-purpose yards.

His seven receptions also tied a Clemson record for a running back. His 83-yard reception was the longest in Clemson history by a running back (breaking his own mark of 82 yards against Boston College in 2006), and it was the fourth longest scoring pass in Clemson history overall.

"He makes my job pretty easy," Clemson quarterback Cullen Harper said.

— Andrew Miller