The Syracuse secondary faces its toughest test of the season against Tajh Boyd and the explosive Clemson offense on Saturday. Cornerback Julian Whigham will likely see additional reps due to the Tigers’ frequent three wide receiver sets, as well as a lower-body injury to Brandon Reddish that’s made him a game-time decision. The Daily Orange spoke with Whigham on Tuesday about how the SU defense is preparing for Clemson.

The Daily Orange: What do you think it will be like going up against Tajh Boyd?

Julian Whigham: He’s nice. Heisman candidate, so it’ll be fun to see how we do.

The D.O.: Does that give you extra motivation?

J.W.: Definitely. They’re a top team, he’s a top quarterback, so getting a chance to intercept him should be fun.

The D.O.: Have you done anything to prepare for him in particular?

J.W.: Not really. It’s more of a team focus. Preparing for the team in general gets us ready for him, because he doesn’t make mistakes, so we’ve got to be on our game.

The D.O.: Scott Shafer always talks about controlling the controllables. I feel like that’s especially relevant in this game.

J.W.: (Laughs) Yeah, definitely. We’ve really got to play our game. If we can do that we’re going to put up a good fight.

The D.O.: Do you see any weakness at all in the offense?

J.W.: We feel like we know how they’re going to attack us, so we’re preparing for that. Come Saturday we’ll see how it goes.

The D.O.: What’s the goal for the defense this week?

J.W.: We have a goal to not let them score. That’s our goal every week. We want to beat these fools (laughs) and make it a game. Hopefully they won’t score, and if we play our game right they won’t.

The D.O.: Obviously this is your first (Atlantic Coast Conference) game. Does the fact that it’s Clemson add fuel to the fire?

J.W.: Definitely. That’s how we want it. One of the best teams in the country, best team in the ACC for our opener – that’s awesome. It’s going to be rocking come Saturday.

The D.O.: You think you can win this game but Clemson is factually a better team on paper. Why do you think you can win?

J.W.: We’ve shown our track record before. West Virginia, Louisville, teams come in here and get beat. That’s what happens. We expect this one, too.

The D.O.: What stands out about Clemson wide receivers Sammy Watkins and Martavis Bryant?

J.W.: They’re fast, and they’ve got a lot of height. That’s about it. They’re good players. It will be a lot of fun to guard them.

The D.O.: Back to Tajh, what’s his best attribute?

J.W.: He’s calm. He doesn’t lose focus when he sees pressure. Really throwing him off guard is what we’re going to do.

The D.O.: Can your offense continue to score with regularity against a better defense?

J.W.: We feel like we can play up to their level, because supposedly they’re so good on paper. They can make you look like kids, so we’re not going to let that happen.

The D.O.: What does this game mean big picture?

J.W.: Biggest game of the year. By far.

Published on October 4, 2013 at 2:37 am

Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass