Once again, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney will have to lean on a backup to get the job done. However, this time around the backup will have to go the rest of the season for the Tigers.

Swinney announced on Thursday that Alex Spence, a redshirt junior from Florence, S.C., will be second-ranked Clemson’s new kicker when it takes the field this Saturday in Death Valley against Boston College.

Spence of course will be replacing two-time All-ACC kicker Greg Huegel, who tore his ACL on the last play of practice on Wednesday. Huegel is out for the rest of the season.

The Tigers have had these kinds of things happen quite a bit already this season. Defensive end Richard Yeargin is out for the year with a neck injury after a car accident back in the summer. Tight end Garrett Williams tore his ACL the last week of spring practice and will miss his fourth game on Saturday.

On Tuesday, freshman defensive end Logan Rudolph was lost for the season after he tore his shoulder in practice.

Of course Clemson has been fighting off other nagging injuries as well. Safety Van Smith missed the Auburn game with a knee sprain and cornerback Marcus Edmond will miss his second straight game with a sprained foot, which he suffered on the third play of the Auburn game.

Tight end D.J. Greenlee will also miss the Boston College game with a sprained MCL in his knee.

“We have had that happen this season quite a bit,” Swinney said on the Mark Packer Show Thursday on ESPNU radio.

The good news for the Tigers (3-0, 1-0 ACC) is how resilient the team has been. Sophomore K’Von Wallace got his first start in the place of Smith and played well in the win over Auburn. Last week, freshman Isaiah Simmons had to come in for Tanner Muse at strong safety after Muse was ejected from the game for targeting on Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Simmons ended up playing 52 snaps against the Cardinals and led Clemson with nine tackles.

“I think that is kind of a neat thing about this team,” Swinney said. “I think we do have good functional depth across the board and now we are going to find out if we have it at kicker too. And I think we do.”

In the Aug. 12 scrimmage in Clemson Memorial Stadium, Spence was 4-for-4 on field goals, including a 51-yard kick.

Spence, who kicked off twice in the Kent State game, has appeared in just one game so far this year. He played in three games last season and in two games in 2015. He had seven kickoffs in 2016 with one touchback. He is 2-for-2 in his career on extra points.

“He is also a good kicker, but he has not had the opportunity,” Swinney said. “He lost the job as a freshman when Huegel came in and won it. Now it is his opportunity to step up.

“What I appreciate about Alex is how he has continued to work so I look forward to seeing him. I hate it for Greg, but I’m excited for Alex to have a chance to demonstrate the hard work he has put in and Christian Groomes as well. That is where we are. I think those guys will do a good job for us.”

Guys stepping up and being ready when their name is called has been the calling card for the Clemson program the last six years.

“That is why it is so important that you are always developing that guy who maybe is not playing right now,” Swinney said. “But his time is going to come at some point.”

“You have to be patient, and I think that is what we do best around here,” he continued. “We believe in developing our guys. I have never signed a junior college guy. I have always signed high school guys and we bring them here and we develop them.

“What I have learned is that if guys will stick with it and if guys will put the work in, they will get better. With some guys the light just comes on quicker than others.”

Swinney points to linebacker Dorian O’Daniel as one of those guys, as well as quarterback Kelly Bryant. He also mentioned former Clemson great like Vic Beasley.

“We just keep working with them and keep working with them,” the Clemson coach said. “I can’t tell you how many redshirt juniors and redshirt seniors have become great players for us like Dorian O’Daniel. Vic Beasley was a redshirt junior before he ever started a game here and he ends up being the eighth pick in the draft. He was not a very good player early in his career.”

For Clemson the key is staying focused, no matter what happens, on what it has and not what it does not. The other key, it keeps recruiting at a high level.

“It is like Kelly Bryant. I mean, people ask me if I am surprised by Kelly Bryant, but that is what we recruited him to do,” Swinney said. “I mean, we do not go out and sign guys that we do not think can play. I’m not surprised. I expected him to come to Clemson, and if he put the work in and stayed healthy and all of those things, then at some point he should be a good player for us and be the best version of himself. Not the next Deshaun (Watson) or the next Tajh (Boyd), but just be himself which is what we recruited him to do.

“It is so easy to focus on the recruiting and who is coming next and whatever, but you forget that there are guys here putting in the work and it is fun to see those guys get their opportunity.”