Clemson LB James Skalski: 'Virginia Makes You Think'
On Saturday night against Virginia, the Clemson defense gave up a little more than they have become accustomed to giving up against ACC competition in recent years.
The Cavaliers were able to roll up 417 yards of offense against the Tigers defense, something that had not happened in ACC play since Ryan Finley and North Carolina State had 491 total yards back in November of 2017.
While some of the fans might see it as a cause for concern, Clemson linebacker James Sklalski does not. He says it is important to remember that Virginia is a pretty good football team that is capable of creating issues for any defense.
"I think people underestimate them (Virginia) to be honest with you," Skalski said on Monday. "They're getting better and better every year, and that team returned 18 starters. They're a good opponent who created a lot of problems, especially defensively for us. They're very good at creating, you know, one-on-one scenarios and just making it difficult for a defense."
While there are some plays they would like back, overall Skalski thinks the defense played well on Saturday night. Considering what the Cavaliers do on the offensive side of the ball, the senior linebacker says he is extremely happy with where they are as a unit at this particular point in the season.
"I mean, I thought we played well, I really did. I thought we played well," Skalski said. "I think it was a great third game for us as a defense. Virginia makes you think. They make you adjust and they have a lot of pre-snap movement, motion, and they're really good at what they do. I think that was a great third game for us to have. It was a great game for us to have going into this stretch of games against some great teams, and I think we can only get better from this past Saturday."
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top righthand corner of the page.
