DJ Uiagalelei has played very well overall this season in leading fifth-ranked Clemson to an undefeated record entering its eighth game of the campaign on Saturday against No. 14 Syracuse at Death Valley.
However, the Tigers’ starting quarterback had his worst game of the year against the Orange, and it left Clemson looking for a spark on offense in the second half, trailing by two scores.
Enter Cade Klubnik. The Tigers’ highly touted true freshman signal-caller came in and helped ignite a struggling Clemson offense, rallying the Tigers (8-0, 6-0 ACC) to a couple of fourth-quarter touchdowns in their comeback 27-21 win over the Orange (6-1, 3-1).
In the first eight drives with Uiagalelei under center, Clemson managed just 10 points. In four drives after Klubnik took over, the Tigers put 17 points on the board.
Klubnik started warming up on the sideline following Uiagalelei’s second interception (and third turnover) of the game, which came on the Tigers’ third possession of the third quarter.
Klubnik then replaced Uiagalelei on Clemson’s fourth possession of the second half, leading a 15-play, 80-yard drive, capped by Phil Mafah’s 1-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal that cut Syracuse’s lead to 21-16 at the 13:46 mark of the fourth quarter.
The drive was aided by a couple of personal foul penalties against Syracuse on hits at the end of Klubnik runs. His speed and escapability brought a different element to the Tigers’ offense, which kicked into gear with him taking the snaps.
On Clemson’s next possession after Mafah’s touchdown, Klubnik kick-started the drive with an 11-yard run before Will Shipley took a handoff to the house for a go-ahead, 50-yard touchdown.
Klubnik then converted a two-point try when he avoided a rusher and threw a dime to Joseph Ngata in the back of the end zone to give the Tigers a 24-21 lead with 11:26 left.
Following a punt on Klubnik’s third drive, the Tigers added a field goal on their next possession to make the score 27-21 with 1:33 left, thanks in part to a deep ball from Klubnik intended for Beaux Collins that drew a pass interference penalty and helped set up B.T. Potter’s 44-yard boot.
Klubnik finished 2-of-4 passing for 19 yards, with six carries for 15 yards, while Uiagalelei went 13-of-21 passing for 138 yards, threw two interceptions and lost a fumble that was returned 90 yards for a touchdown.
In his postgame interview on ABC, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said Uiagalelei remains the Tigers’ starter despite his struggles against the Orange.
“Sometimes Steph Curry goes 2-for-25. Your best players sometimes can have a bad day,” Swinney said. “He just got out of rhythm and made some bad plays, and we just needed a change. … DJ’s our quarterback. There ain’t no question about that. That’s our guy. That’s our leader. You can write that right now. DJ’s our guy. Now, he’s got to play better, and he will. But how about Cade Klubnik coming in and leading these guys.”
Coming into Saturday’s game, Uiagalelei had completed 64.3 percent of his passes for 1,665 yards and 17 touchdowns with only two interceptions. Klubnik was 7-of-15 passing for 66 yards and a touchdown entering Saturday.
Following a bye week, Clemson will return to action on Nov. 5 at Notre Dame. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on NBC.
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!
