It didn’t take long for Marcus Tate to show his age.
On Clemson’s first offensive snap of the season, the Tigers’ freshman left guard drove off the ball and helped anchor a double team on Georgia nose tackle Jordan Davis with running back Kobe Pace following behind him. Problem was, Tate was supposed to scrape off and pick up inside linebacker Nakobe Dean, who was coming through the middle of Clemson’ offensive line on a run blitz.
The mental error played a part in turning what could’ve been an explosive play on the ground into just a 2-yard run for Pace. With Georgia’s 6-foot-6, 340-pound defensive lineman lined up just inches away from him, Tate understandably got sidetracked.
“I was pretty locked in on blocking (Davis), and I think, from a mental standpoint, that’s where I need to get better,” Tate said.
All things considered, though, Tate said he largely felt comfortable in his first start just nine months after arriving on Clemson’s campus as one of the top recruits in the Tigers’ 2021 signing class. A tackle during his prep days at University School in Sunrise, Florida, Tate went through spring practice at guard as an early enrollee and stayed there throughout fall camp.
Tate said he largely feels comfortable on the interior with as many reps as he’s gotten there over the last nine months. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said Tate had earned the right to start once Clemson decided to go with Matt Bockhorst at center given the way Tate has routinely performed against one of the country’s top defensive lines in practice.
“It’s not like he hasn’t seen good people,” Swinney said. “He’s been going against (Bryan) Bresee and those guys all spring and all camp.”
Tate is still working to get comfortable mentally in the Tigers’ offense, and Swinney said there are fundamental improvements that need to be made, including footwork and hand placement. Tate said he’s made strides with his footwork thanks in part to some offseason work both inside and outside of the sport. Tate, who played basketball for four years in high school, went back to the hardwood to help with that.
“I did a lot of post moves and stuff like that to help with my feet and just leverage and stuff,” Tate said.
Getting his introduction against another formidable defensive line in front of a national television audience, though, was baptism by fire for the youngster. Yet Tate said he couldn’t have asked for a better experience in terms of assisting with his long-term development.
“(Davis) gave me a lot of stuff I know that I need to work on from now on,” Tate said. “It was a blessing to go against him and that defense because now I know where I’m at. It also gave me a sense of where I think I belong on the field, and I was blessed to have the opportunity to play against a defense like that.”
Seeing a defensive front like Georgia’s early also opened Tate’s eyes to a different level of physicality that’s required when squaring off against elite teams on the interior, something he said he’s also emphasized since he moved to guard.
“I’ve just been trying to adapt to being more aggressive at that position and just having faster feet there,” Tate said.
Swinney said he has few doubts about the 6-foot-4, 325-pounder’s potential at the position.
“He played tough. He played physically,” Swinney said. “Not very good fundamentally. Again, this is the first time this kid has played, but he’s the best guy.”
Football season has finally arrived. Time to represent your Tigers and show your stripes!
