Dabo Swinney made it crystal clear following Saturday’s game that, at least for the time being, there’s no quarterback quandary at Clemson.
That could always change.
But D.J. Uiagalelei will be the first quarterback to trot onto the field with the Tigers’ offense at Notre Dame Stadium two Saturdays from now. He might be the only one Clemson uses. Depending on how he performs, he might not.
Regardless of whether it’s his experienced yet sometimes erratic junior quarterback or true freshman Cade Klubnik taking the snaps, Clemson’s head coach on Monday laid out his expectations for his signal callers.
“I prefer points, taking care of the ball and crisp execution,” Swinney said. “What that looks like to everybody else, I really don’t care.”
It’s a pretty straightforward ask of the most important position on the field regardless of the situation. It’s also one that takes on even more significance for Clemson given where the Tigers find themselves heading into November.
The only 8-0 team in America, No. 5 Clemson controls its own destiny in the race to the ACC championship and potentially the College Football Playoff, a reality that was very much in doubt over the weekend in large part because of the kind of sporadic quarterback play that hasn’t been the norm this season.
Uiagalelei entered Saturday’s game against Syracuse having accounted for 21 touchdowns with just two interceptions, but he matched his turnover total for the entire season in just two and a half quarters against the Orange. One of them was a red-zone fumble that was returned for a touchdown in the second quarter, and after his second interception midway through the third, he was benched for Klubnik.
Klubnik finished out the game with a showing that Swinney called “an experience he can grow from.” He wasn’t asked to do much through the air (2 of 4 passing for 19 yards) on a day the Tigers ran 60 times for a season-high 293 yards. Yet Klubnik took a sack while trying to outrun a Syracuse defender on his first series that set the Tigers well behind the chains, a predicament Syracuse helped bail Clemson out of on a third-and-25 when the Orange were flagged for a roughing penalty.
“The sack was really bad,” Swinney said. “(Klubnik) just hasn’t played a lot. He’s a fast kid, and he’s always been able to probably get away with stuff like that. But that was really poor.”
But Klubnik stayed away from turnovers. The Tigers, who committed all four of their turnovers at or on the plus side of midfield, held onto the ball long enough to score a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, which helped them escape with all of their championship goals still intact.
“He had a couple of mistakes, but he settled us down,” Swinney said.
It was a reminder that Swinney can’t take any chances behind center. Not with so much at stake and a somewhat favorable schedule left. The Tigers will finish the regular season with three straight home games against Louisville, Miami and South Carolina. Those teams are a combined 12-9.
But the first order of business is trying to get past a three-loss Notre Dame team that may also need some help from the Tigers if it’s going to ruin Clemson’s perfect season. Swinney sent another message regarding the plan at quarterback with his hook Saturday: He’ll ride with whichever one is better at not providing that assistance.
“I just think they’ve got to be who they are and channel who they are into crisp execution. That’s all I care about,” Swinney said. “Take care of the football, play within the system and execute.”
Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.
Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!
