Dabo Swinney and the Tigers have another huge matchup on Saturday as the No.22 North Carolina Tar Heels travel to Death Valley for a rematch of the 2022 ACC Championship game.
As many of you likely remember, the Tigers took down the Tar Heels 39-10 to win the ACC Championship, with a certain freshman under center breaking out and showing the world what he can do when given the opportunity. Replacing former Starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei early in the game, now-starting quarterback Cade Klubnik stepped in and put forth an MVP performance.
In the matchup, Klubnik completed 20-24 passes for 279 yards and one touchdown, adding 30 yards and a touchdown on the ground. It was the best the Clemson offense had looked in all of 2022. It excited Tigers’ fans for what would end up being a rather disappointing 2023 season for the Tigers.
Now facing the Tar Heels once again, Clemson needs Klubnik to keep the offensive momentum the Tigers have built over the last couple of weeks to take down a tough but beatable North Carolina team. Klubnik is our offensive X-Factor for this matchup, as he needs to perform at a high level to keep up with the Tar Heels’ high-powered offense.
North Carolina is in trouble if Klubnik plays like he did in the ACC Championship last season.