McKinzy debuts at MLB

Cassanova McKinzy made his first career start at middle linebacker for the Tigers, replacing Jake Holland. McKinzy, a freshman, made 12 tackles and forced and recovered a fumble.

“When I got contact I realized, this is something I’ve been doing all my life, it’s just at a different level,” McKinzy said. “So I got pretty comfortable real fast.”

McKinzy was not error-free but he did make several nice stops throughout the game. Defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder said McKinzy made mistakes but appreciated his work ethic to prepare for his first start.

“He made a lot of mistakes in the game,” VanGorder said of McKinzy, who tied safety Demetruce McNeal with a game-high in tackles. “I think his physical traits showed up. His size and ability to run were apparent a number of times in the game.

“I really respect the work that he put in this week to get ready. He was grinding to get himself ready to play in this game.”

Holland has started all six games at middle linebacker prior to Saturday. His season-high in tackles was 11 which came against Clemson in the season opener.