Clemson linebacker Keith Maguire spoke to the media on Monday ahead of Saturday’s game versus Boston College.
After coming off a double-overtime victory at Wake Forest, the Clemson defensive unit looked electric versus NC State. With two critical victories, the Tigers will have to reset as they head up for another night game at Boston College.
Maguire believes that it will be critical to refocus their attention on what’s ahead and prepare diligently for this week’s matchup.
“Every week we reset,” he said. “It’s not really about ranked opponents or anything, obviously those games are big and everything, media-wise and all the coverage with [College] GameDay and everything. Every game is just as important because as soon as you lose one, you’re now not in control of your destiny anymore. So, every week we reset and we make sure to bring the same amount of focus and the same amount of intensity to practice each week.”
Although, the defense has been riddled with injuries, with most notably the absence of Xavier Thomas (foot), Maguire believes that the strength of the Clemson defense lies in its depth. With players sidelined, the linebacker emphasized the importance of the defense to maintain its dominance in spite of the absence of those starters.
“I think it shows a lot about our depth,” he said. “We talked about that a lot in the preseason, how our depth is going to be really important. So, being able to step up when guys are out, not losing a beat, it’s a good sign for us.”
Clemson is in a different position this season, holding a 5-0 record, as opposed to the 3-2 record they had at this time last year. Maguire was candid that this does create a different vibe in the locker room, a heightened confidence of sorts.
“Definitely a little bit different of a vibe,” he said. “Just knowing we are in control of our destiny right now, last year was a little different with the loss to N.C. State, you kind of sit there and you’re trying to figure out who has to lose or win in order to get to the ACC Championship. So, right now it’s a better feeling knowing we can control it.”
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney told the media prior to the game versus NC State that the defensive unit needed to step up and their performance, both in practice and during the previous game, was not at the level he expected out of them. Maguire gave his take on what changed from Wednesday to Friday last week that helped translate into such a dominant performance versus the Wolfpack.
“Just practicing with a purpose every day and going out there with a correct mindset in practice,” he said “I think sometimes in the week, week after week, you can get caught up in it, get a little tired of small details, but he just reemphasized how important it is and the fact that games are won in practice, Monday through Friday before you even play on Saturday. We took that to heart and we came out there with the mindset we have to improve and we have a lot we can improve on.”
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