By Will Vandervort.

It was obvious that the last thing Brent Venables wanted to do following Wednesday’s practice was speak with the media.

Clemson’s defensive coordinator was visibly upset when he came off the practice field at the indoor practice facility. When asked did he know anything more about his defense six practices into the spring, he responded with “Not really. Not since the last time we spoke.”

“Nothing really has changed,” he said. “We had a scrimmage and then two practices that did not do a whole lot. Everything is pretty much the same. We have good competition at linebacker and in the secondary and don’t have a lot of depth upfront.

“That same group of guys that are kind of standing out, Shaq (Lawson), (Kevin) Dodd, (D.J.) Reader, (Carlos) Watkins and (Scott) Pagano inside, so that is kind of where we are at.”

It became obvious later in the interview where Venables’ ire was directed towards. Both he and head coach Dabo Swinney relayed that the secondary had a bad day, especially the cornerback position opposite Mackensie Alexander.

“Inconsistent, not where we need to be,” Venables said. “There really is nobody else. Some other guys are not quite there yet. Ryan Carter is our next best guy as of today.”

Swinney later revealed that quarterback Nick Schuessler had one of those practices when Swinney wished practice was open to the public. He said the fourth-year quarterback had an outstanding day and because the cornerbacks were off, the wide receivers had their best day of the spring.

“It is very competitive, very competitive. You can’t really hide out here and I love that,” Swinney said. “I thought he we had a little bit of that today with our secondary. A couple of guys were a little lethargic and the wideouts had probably their best day of the spring, but that is what I am talking about. There is no room for error and it is that way at every position.”

Chalmers showing progress. Though the secondary was not having a good day, Swinney and Venables both agreed that Carter has been the most consistent of the bunch competing for that side of the field. Swinney also said he has been pleased with Adrian Baker as well.

“Marcus (Edmonds) is still coming and we really like (Kaleb) Chalmers,” Swinney said. “We think he is going to be an outstanding player. He is a technically advanced guy for such a young player. We are pleased with where he is from a starting standpoint.

“That is a very, very competitive group right there. All of them are taking pride in their performance.”

Dane Rogers is like Rennie Moore? Swinney says Dane Rogers will more than likely be used the way they used former defensive tackle Rennie Moore on the defensive line. He will play both inside and outside, but right now he is being used at defensive tackle.

“He can play the nose and the three-technique and right now that is where we have him and we think that is the best spot for him with our personnel,” Swinney said.

Injury update. Freshman offensive tackle Mitch Hyatt and senior offensive tackle Joe Gore both missed practice on Wednesday due to injuries.

Swinney says Hyatt tweaked his hamstring during field goal drills after slipping on the wet grass on Monday, while Gore stubbed his toe on one-on-one drills. Both are expected to be back to practice when the team returns from spring break on March 23.