Clemson Linebacker Depth on Display in Win Over Hokies

After third-ranked Clemson lost both James Skalski and Jake Venables on Saturday night, some of the younger linebackers on the team were forced into action.

This season has been one unlike any other, and that especially holds true for Clemson as they get set to appear in their sixth consecutive ACC Championship Game. 

Week-after-week, the third-ranked Tigers have been without key players, either due to injury or safety protocols and it is those circumstances that have forced some of the younger players on the roster into having to learn on the job. 

In Saturday's 45-10 win over Virginia Tech, starting linebacker James Skalski left early in the first quarter after experiencing soreness. His backup, Jake Venables, left later in the quarter after suffering a broken arm. Suddenly, the Tigers once again found themselves having to rely on younger players in key situations.

Kane Patterson, LaVonta Bentley, and Keith Maguire all found themselves playing substantial snaps on Saturday and all three were factors in the Tigers shutting down the Hokies running game in what was a dominant defensive effort in the second half. Particularly in the third quarter when Virginia Tech had just 11 yards of offense. 

Maguire says that all the credit goes to defensive coordinator Brent Venables for all the work he puts into making sure they are ready whenever their number happens to get called.

"I think that you got to give credit to Coach V for how hard he works and making sure we're prepared," Maguire said. "And just us as a linebacker core overall because I know we're always in the film together, always trying to get better as a group, and I think it showed the Saturday in the game that we all push each other to be better, and it's been showing up."

Maguire recorded five tackles, two tackles for a loss and a forced fumble against Virginia Tech. He says taking a redshirt last year to acclimate to playing at this level is now paying off.

"It was a good experience, you know," Maguire said. "With how the defense works and just really learning college football overall. Learning how to be a better linebacker, more knowledgeable, and just see what it takes to be great. 

The culture that exists inside the Clemson program ensures that players prepare each week as if they are going to start. Maguire says that kind of mindset is as important as it's ever been this season and was on full display Saturday night.

"Every week we work extra hard on preparing, no matter what happens," Maguire said. "We do that just in case something like that happens, you know a few linebackers go down and you got to be ready and you're expected to perform just as well as the starters. So every week just bring in that sense of urgency, be prepared because our number gets called. But definitely, this year just because you never know when someone's going to test positive or contact tracing or anything like that. So every year, but this year especially, we got to be more focused and ready to go in whenever we need to."