By Will Vandervort.

By Will Vandervort

CLEMSON — Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has always known Vic Beasley could be an electric player. The question was, however, could he be a dominant one?

If the last two games are any indication, then yes. Beasley has recorded three of his team-leading five sacks in the last two weeks as he has blown past offensive tackles from Wake Forest and Duke. Even when he isn’t getting to the quarterback, he is causing havoc in the backfield.

But getting to this point wasn’t so easy for the Adairsville, Ga., native. He came to Clemson as an athlete and spent his redshirt season bouncing around as both a tight end and defensive player before finally finding a home at defensive end in 2011.

But making progress and earning playing time has been a slow process, especially since he was playing behind guys like Andre Branch, Malliciah Goodman and Corey Crawford. After recording two tackles in 16 snaps a year ago, Beasley worked his way into the regular rotation this fall, along with Tavaris Barnes. After seeing spot duty the first seven games, the last two weeks his playing time has increased and it’s no coincidence his production has as well.

Beasley played 30 snaps in a win at Wake Forest on Oct. 25, and then in last week’s victory at Duke he recorded 34 snaps for the eighth-ranked Tigers.

“Vic is a smart guy,” Swinney said following Wednesday’s practice. “It has been a transition for him. I think he is bought in more. I think he is having fun. He is starting to realize that he can truly impact the game.”

And that’s what he is doing. His five sacks are tied for fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference and he has helped the Tigers register a combined nine sacks the last two weeks.

“The guy leads our team in sacks and he is like fifth in the conference or something,” Swinney said. “He has not played the amount of snaps that some of those guys in front of him have so he has been a productive guy as a sophomore football player for us.”

Swinney says the last couple of weeks can only make Beasley a better and more confident football player.

“He needed a year like this to kind of see his potential,” the Clemson coach said. “I think he is finally bought into that, and I think that is going to help him even more in the off-season. He is 225 pounds, and he needs to be 245.

“I think he can be a real electric guy and a force to deal with more so than he already is. He will be more of an every down type of player and be more of a factor in the run game and things like that. Right now, he is a factor because he is just so active and disruptive. He is so fast and he can change direction. He is long, and has these long arms.

“He is one of the strongest guys on the team,” Swinney continued. “He does not have to be 260 pounds, so if you get him at 240, he is going to play like he is 280 because of the raw strength that he has. Because of that strength, it is allowing him to be effective at 225.”

Injury notes: Swinney said running back Andre Ellington did practice Wednesday and will be ready to go for the Tigers on Saturday when Maryland invades Death Valley for a 3:32 p.m. kickoff. Ellington tweaked his hamstring in last week’s win at Duke on the first play of the game.

Tight end Brandon Ford (abdominal strain) also practiced and will play on Saturday. Cornerback Bashaud Breeland (groin) is questionable, but Swinney thinks he will be able to make it.