Woodaz feels like Will Shipley on big interception return

Wade Woodaz returned an interception for a touchdown in the win over Charleston Southern.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sun Sep 10 13:36:03 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON – Wade Woodaz is known for his athletic ability, and it’s that athleticism that allows him to play multiple spots in the Clemson defense. But after Saturday, he also thinks he does a pretty good job of impersonating Will Shipley.

Woodaz was a part of a dominant effort by the Clemson defense – the Tigers held CSU to just 73 yards of total offense, including 12 yards rushing on 30 carries. The Buccaneers were stifled at almost every turn and averaged just 1.6 yards per play.

Woodaz credited the Tigers’ defensive line for holding up the point of attack.

“How about that D-line? Oh my lord, that was like running into a brick wall every play,” Woodaz said. “The D-line, they make it easier for me as a linebacker.”

Woodaz did his part. Following Phil Mafah’s five-yard touchdown run on the Tigers’ first possession of the second half, Clemson cornerback Jeadyn Lukus leveled a CSU wide receiver just after the receiver caught a pass and turned to run upfield.

The ball popped in the air, and Woodaz was there to gather it in, and he rumbled 35 yards for the touchdown. The back-to-back touchdowns by Mafah and Woodaz 12 seconds apart are the quickest back-to-back touchdowns in Clemson history, breaking the previous mark of Derrick Hamilton catching scoring passes from Charlie Whitehurst 14 seconds apart against Duke in 2003.

Beautiful pick 6️⃣ by Woodaz‼️

pic.twitter.com/gJgJwDigMY
— The Paw (@JoinThePaw) September 9, 2023

As for Woodaz, he felt like a running back with the extra room to run.

“So, I turned around, and I just see Jeadyn Lukus blow this dude up, and I’m like-- the ball is in my hands. So, I turn around, and I’m like, there is no one in front of me,” Woodaz said. “I felt like Will Shipley-- I told him that, too. I didn't look that fast because I was trying to set up my blocks. I was running and like, why is no one coming to get me?”

Woodaz said the defense wanted to avoid a slow start but didn’t panic when the Tigers trailed CSU 14-7 early.

“We’ve been preaching all week-- energy and bringing the juice on the sideline-- so we never got down throughout the game,” he said. “We always knew that we could fight back. So we kept our energy high the entire game. That really boosted us when we were down.”

What did he learn about his team?

“This team is going to respond. I promise you that. No matter what happens-- bump in the road-- we are going to get back up and keep fighting, just like Rocky,” Woodaz said. “Coach Swinney always talks about Rocky and how he’s always going to get up. That’s how I would describe us, too.”