Mackensie Alexander and Artavis Scott were trading blows. Marcus Edmond was tracking the ball down all over the field. Mark Fields recorded one interception and T.J. Green had another. Travis Blanks was terrorizing the wide receivers and running backs, while Shaq Lawson, D.J. Reader, Carlos Watkins and Kevin Dodd were unblockable at times.

Linebackers Ben Boulware and Jalen Williams were also causing problems in the backfield.

The Clemson defense played so well in Thursday’s practice, it even humanized Deshaun Watson, as the ACC Preseason Player of the Year threw his first interception of fall camp and was limited from making very big plays.

“I don’t have a track record one way or the other over time. Sometimes guys will have a good day and a bad day,” Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables said.

When the Tigers were wearing shorts and helmets, it was like track meet as the offense held its own in the first two days of training camp. But on Thursday, things got a little more physical as Clemson wore shoulder pads for the first time in camp.

That gave the defense all the edge it needed.

“It is kind of hard to evaluate the D-Line and the O-line without the pads. The only thing you can see is if they are athletic or not,” Dodd said. “Basically, we brought the physical part to the game once we got the pads on.”

How physical was it?

Lawson basically decleated running back Wayne Gallman when freshman left tackle Mitch Hyatt was unable to block the junior defensive end. Lawson also recorded a couple of sacks as did Dodd. Joe Gore and true freshman Jake Fruhmorgen had no answer for Dodd all afternoon.

“I switched it up a little bit and used finesse. Once I got them thinking it, I overpowered them,” Dodd said.

Despite the overall bad day, the offense did have its moments. Late in the practice Watson found Williams for a long touchdown, while Tyshon Dye showed good vision and burst during inside drills early in the practice.

For the second straight day, Deon Caine climbed the later and hauled in a one-handed catch along the sideline with Cordrea Tankersley draped all over him in coverage. Redshirt freshman Cannon Smith held his own with Lawson up front, while Jay Guillermo perhaps played the best of any offensive linemen.

But for every good play the offense had on Thursday, the defense answered with 10 more of its own.

“It’s about who is the most consistent and we have about three weeks to figure it out so you don’t want to rush to add judgment one way or another,” Venables said.