Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik spent an hour crying in his car after a 17-14 loss to in-state rival South Carolina, a shocking end to the 2024 regular season. .
At the time, it seemed like the final nail in the coffin for Clemson’s postseason hopes. The Tigers, who finished with a 9-3 record, were key to a decent bowl, but nothing more.
Eventually, Kravnik drove home. While his housemates were still awake and watching soccer, he headed straight to his room. On a whim, he decided to watch the end of the Miami-Syracuse game.
He turned on the TV and saw the Orange win 42-38. The win drops Miami to 6-2 in conference play and sends Clemson to the ACC Championship Game against SMU.
“Sunday and Monday were definitely weird because we were sad about Saturday’s loss, but we’ve got to switch it up and get excited,” Klubnik said after the ACC Championship Game. “I think it was like being outside playing with some friends and your mom telling you to come over and saying you have five minutes left.
“We had five minutes left to play football. That was tonight. It was really exciting.”
Clemson made the most of the “five minutes left,” but there were times when the Tigers looked like a win would be much harder to come by. SMU’s quarterback Kevin Jennings hit wide receiver Roderick Daniels Jr. for a 4-yard touchdown with 16 seconds left, tying the score at 31-31 and erasing a 17-point lead against Clemson in the fourth quarter. Ta.
Tigers wide receiver Adam Randall, who was playing in place of injured Jay Haynes, then took the ensuing kickoff 41 yards, putting the ball at Clemson’s 45-yard line. A quick 17-yard completion from Klubnik to Antonio Williams put the Tigers within field goal range, if improbably.
Klubnik went to the sideline and imagined overtime as Clemson’s special teams unit took the field. He wasn’t watching, but he heard the crowd roar as kicker Nolan Hauser’s boot sailed 56 yards over the uprights for the first walk-off field goal in ACC Championship Game history.
“I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it,” Krbnik said.
Hauser’s kick not only gave Clemson its second ACC title in three years. The Tigers also qualified for the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2020. The Tigers will travel to Austin, Texas as the No. 12 seed to face No. 5 seed Texas in the first round on Saturday. December 21st.
Klubnik scored three touchdowns in the first quarter against SMU, earning his first win in the ACC Championship Game. He completed a record-tying four touchdown passes, including a 10-yard connection with tight end Jake Bringstool late in the third quarter that gave the Tigers a decisive 31-14 lead. brought about.
It was a full-circle moment for Klubnik, who established himself as a bona fide freshman. He came off the bench in the ACC Championship Game in 2022, piling up 309 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Tigers to a 39-10 lead. Beat North Carolina.
The first 13 games at Clemson were a roller coaster. The former Westlake High School (Austin, Texas) product has shown occasional flashes of talent to be named the No. 2 quarterback in the 2022 class by 247Sports, but his overall performance leaves much to be desired. It remained. Klubnik finished the 2023 season with 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He failed to reach 3,000 passing yards and had four individual performances with less than 200 yards through the air.
As a result, Clemson fell to 8-4 (its worst regular season record in 13 years) and missed the ACC Championship Game for the second time since 2014.
Questions swirled in the offseason about Klubnik’s place on Clemson’s offensive line and Swinney’s ability to adapt to the modern college football landscape. But Swinney maintained his faith in quarterback and offensive play-caller Garrett Riley.
Both rewarded Swinney’s fortitude. Recognized for his performance in the ACC Championship Game, Klubnik completed 63.7% for a career-high 3,303 yards and 33 touchdowns, second only in the ACC to Heisman Trophy candidate Cam Ward. It is ranked first. He has a chance to double his passing touchdown total starting in 2023, and has only thrown five interceptions thus far.
It’s one thing to lead Clemson to the College Football Playoff, but Swinney set the winning standard during his time with the Tigers. That path begins with a difficult test on a Texas scale. The Longhorns have arguably the best defense in the nation, allowing just 143.1 passing yards per game.
With a resurgent Klubnik leading the way and the pressure of a single-elimination format, anything is possible for Clemson. All I needed was a chance.
“We’re a dangerous team,” Swinney said. “We haven’t played our best football yet, but we’re in the playoffs. I think it’s frustrating, but it’s also exciting because we have the ability.”
“I wish we could get this thing together for four quarters, because then we’d have a real chance.”
