Tag: Brandon streeter

3 offensive keys to a Clemson win over Notre Dame

Here are three offensive keys for the Tigers to walk away with a win over Notre Dame.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program are currently undefeated with a 8-0 (6-0 ACC) record as they head into a tough away matchup with Notre Dame in South Bend this Saturday. 

The Tigers are coming off of a much needed bye week after the team struggled in their 27-21 comeback win over Syracuse. Notre Dame on the other hand, is coming off of a dominant showing on the against Syracuse where they took down the Orange 41-24 on the road.

Coming off of their bye, Clemson’s offense will need to play at a high level to walk away from South Bend with a win Saturday.

Here are three offensive keys for the Tigers to keep their undefeated season alive against Notre Dame.

Clemson looking to get this receiver involved in passing game again

There’s been a noticeable absence in the cooling off of Clemson’s passing game recently. After averaging 275 yards passing in their first four games, the Tigers haven’t eclipsed the 220-yard mark through the air since putting up a season-best 371 in …

There’s been a noticeable absence in the cooling off of Clemson’s passing game recently.

After averaging 275 yards passing in their first four games, the Tigers haven’t eclipsed the 220-yard mark through the air since putting up a season-best 371 in that double-overtime shootout at Wake Forest. Clemson is coming off a season-low 157 passing yards against Syracuse two weeks ago.

That coincided with quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei’s worst performance so far, a three-turnover debacle in two and a half quarters that resulted in him getting benched for the first time this season. But Clemson had also thrown for 209 yards or less in two of its three prior games.

And there’s been no involvement from Beaux Collins. Clemson’s sophomore receiver has been available each game on the outside, but after being one of Uiagalelei’s primary targets through the first six games, Collins has gone the last two without a catch.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said the Tigers’ run-heavy game plans against Florida State and Syracuse had something to do with that, but he added they tried to dial up a few calls to get Collins the ball that didn’t work out.

“We got a huge PI (pass interference) on a post route (in one of those games),” Swinney said. “There are other things that show up. He’s had opportunity. It just hasn’t worked out. That’s the life of a receiver.”

Offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter acknowledged there have been times where certain coverages have eliminated Collins as an open receiver. But Streeter said he needs to do a better job of trying to create even more opportunities for what’s been one of Clemson’s top playmakers out wide.

After emerging late during his true freshman season amid injuries at the position, Collins got off to a fast start in his first season as a full-time starter, catching a touchdown in each of the first three games this season. He had 18 receptions for 290 yards through the first half of the season and still leads the team with five touchdown grabs, helping Clemson regain some of the explosiveness it lacked in the passing game a season ago.

More than one-third of Collins’ catches have covered at least 21 yards (7). And only Joseph Ngata (16.2) is averaging more yards per reception than Collins (16.1).

“He’s definitely a really, really good player that can do some really good things with the ball in his hands,” Streeter said. “That’s something else to make sure I do a better job of is getting Beaux Collins the football. And I talked to him after this last game especially, but he’s such a great kid. He said, ‘Coach, all I care about is winning.’ That’s been the mindset of all these (receivers). It’s a fun group, but I’ve got to do a better job of that.”

The next chance to do that comes Saturday when Clemson returns to action at Notre Dame.

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As Clemson’s ace, Uiagalelei has to ‘go do your job’

D.J. Uiagalelei isn’t dwelling on the recent past. The most recent performance from Clemson’s QB1 brought flashbacks of his 2021 season that was largely a struggle. Uiagalelei committed three turnovers against Syracuse – matching his total for the …

D.J. Uiagalelei isn’t dwelling on the recent past.

The most recent performance from Clemson’s QB1 brought flashbacks of his 2021 season that was largely a struggle. Uiagalelei committed three turnovers against Syracuse – matching his total for the season coming into the game – that got him benched midway through the third quarter of the Tigers’ 27-21 comeback victory.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter quickly squashed any talk about a quarterback controversy between Uiagalelei and star freshman Cade Klubnik. More than a week removed from that temporary benching, Uiagalelei shot down any notion that Syracuse’s defense confused him into those miscues. Rather, he chalked up his turnovers, including two errant interceptions, to poor decision-making.

“There were some decisions I should’ve never made with putting balls in jeopardy,” Uiagalelei said.

Uiagalelei said he moved on to preparation for Saturday’s game against Notre Dame shortly after reviewing the film against Syracuse. He’ll back behind center to start against the Fighting Irish, who will host Clemson in the Tigers’ first game since that Oct. 22 escape from Syracuse.

Swinney said he’s expecting a bounceback performance from Uiagalelei, again comparing the Tigers’ experienced signal caller, who’s 19-4 as a starter at Clemson, to an ace in baseball who didn’t have his best stuff.

“He had a bad day. Ain’t no question about that,” Swinney said. “You put your ace on the mound, and there’s a certain expectation. That’s just the way it is. You put Nolan Ryan out there or whoever it is, there’s an expectation of what you’re going to get from your guy. But even the best of the best, next thing you know, they’ve hit three home runs off him in the second inning. It just ain’t his day. And you’re not going to let him give up four runs. If you do, you’re just stupid.

“But that guy is going to come back the next week or whenever his next start is. He’s going to get right back at it.”

Swinney said he’s confident Uiagalelei is in a better place to mentally rebound from his biggest struggle so far this season because he’s already seen it at times. Uiagalelei played turnover-free football with two touchdown passes after losing a first-quarter fumble in the season opener against Georgia Tech. After throwing his second interception of the season early at Boston College, Uiagalelei again stayed away from turnovers the rest of the way and threw three touchdown passes in the Tigers’ 31-3 win.

“He certainly knows he can’t go play like (he did against Syracuse),” Swinney said. “There’s a standard, and there’s the expectation. He’s the ace. You’ve got to go do your job.”

Saturday will provide Uiagalelei with his latest opportunity to respond.

“He’s had some bad moments and snapped out of it,” Swinney said. “He’s a totally different guy, and our expectation is for him to go play his best game. That’s what I expect.”

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Collins on playing: ‘If I have to have a full game of blocking, that’s what I’ll do’

Beaux Collins, who has picked up five receiving touchdowns during the 2022 season, has not seen any touches of the ball in the last two games versus both Florida State and Syracuse. The Clemson sophomore wide receiver plays an integral role in the …

Beaux Collins, who has picked up five receiving touchdowns during the 2022 season, has not seen any touches of the ball in the last two games versus both Florida State and Syracuse. The Clemson sophomore wide receiver plays an integral role in the wide receiver room, acting alongside guys like Joseph Ngata as the veterans of the room.

Collins spoke to the media on Monday and disregarded any notions that he felt mad or discouraged about not getting those big plays in the last couple of weeks. Instead, he feels like the priority for him should always be on what he can do to help the team as a whole.

“Just keeping the main thing the main thing and that’s winning,” he said. “If I have to have a full game of blocking, that’s what I’ll do. There hasn’t been much time where I’ve really been pissed off or anything like that. I’ve just handled it well like a pro would and I just go back to work the next week, hoping to get a catch that week. It’s just whatever it takes, so I wasn’t really worried about that, for sure.”

The lack of opportunities for the 6-foot-3, 210-pound pass catcher has been something that has weighed on offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter. Streeter, who knows the talent and maturity Collins brings to the wide receiver room, emphasized to reporters that it’s sometimes on him to give Collins the opportunity to make the play.

However, Collins quickly put the worries of Streeter to rest, always going back to his priority, which is helping the team find a way to win.

“He’s [Streeter] expressed that before, but I told him not to even worry about it,” he said. “He told me that after one of our games a few weeks ago, but I can tell he really means it and that’s all I could ask for really.”

The California native knows the opportunities to make catches and make those big plays is also sometimes dictated by the coverages they are facing from opposing defenses. Clemson has had to run the ball more in both the Syracuse and Florida State games, which by virtue has naturally given Collins less opportunities.

“Just the defense that we’ve played, they’re basically daring us to run the ball,” he said. “They had light boxes. Syracuse had a light box, Florida State sometimes had a light box, things like that. It’s what we had to get done at the moment.”

Collins thinks that it’s not only him, but the entire wide receiver unit that wants to see each other succeed, which makes it all that easier to watch the other guys come up with some big plays.

“Not at all,” he said. “We all want to see each other succeed at the end of the day. That was one of Coach [Tyler] Grisham’s main goals this year, was just being each other’s biggest fan and I think we’re really displaying that for sure.”

The mentality and the maturity of Collins resembles that of a professional out there, which Streeter values about the wide receiver, calling him “selfless” on the field.

Collins reacted to what a comment like that means to him, especially in the college football environment we live in.

“It means a lot,” he said. “Just, there’s a lot of crazy things going on in the football world, players doing stupid things. So, it really means a lot for someone to say that about me in today’s time period.”

Uiagalelei details what went wrong vs. Syracuse

DJ Uiagalelei had by far his worst game of the season against Syracuse, and he will look to bounce back against Notre Dame.

As Clemson prepares for Notre Dame, quarterback DJ Uiagalelei spoke to the media on Monday, reflecting on why he struggled against Syracuse and what he needs to improve upon looking forward.

In the Week 8 victory over the Orange nine days ago, Uiagalelei had by far his worst game of the 2022 season. He had three turnovers in less than three quarters of play, including a pivotal fumble that gave Syracuse a 90-yard scoop and score. Uiagalelei’s struggles prompted head coach Dabo Swinney to make a change, replacing his starting signal-caller with freshman Cade Klubnik, who led the Tigers to a 17-point fourth quarter.

Heading into last week’s bye, Uiagalelei was happy to come away with a win, but after reviewing the film, he acknowledged what went wrong against Syracuse.

“The biggest thing was decision-making,” he said. “I feel like there were some decisions that I should’ve never made and put balls in jeopardy.”

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound quarterback added that he had a good week of practice last week and wants to lead the offense in attack mode the rest of the way.

“I feel like when I play my best is when I’m cutting it loose and not thinking about stuff, just going out there and reacting to what the defense is doing and not second guessing myself,” Uiagalelei said.

Looking ahead to Saturday’s road game against the Fighting Irish, the former five-star will look to bounce back in a similar fashion to his performance in 2020, when he started in place of Trevor Lawrence.

Although Clemson failed to leave South Bend, Ind., with a victory two years ago, Uiagalelei was a bright spot for the Tigers, throwing for 439 yards and two touchdowns.

Slated to kick off at 7:30 p.m. EDT, the matchup between the Tigers and the Fighting Irish will have plenty of eyes on it. Still, Uiagalelei is focusing on remaining steady.

“I’ve been playing football since I was five years old and playing tackle (football) since I was eight or nine, so you just can’t make it bigger than it is,” he said. “You just have to go out there and execute, have some fun and just go play football.”

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Streeter pinpoints area in which Clemson’s offense needs improvement

With Clemson fresh off an open date, the Tigers are continuing preparations for their final road game of the regular season Saturday at Notre Dame. Offensively, coordinator Brandon Streeter said there’s one specific area he’d like to see his unit …

With Clemson fresh off an open date, the Tigers are continuing preparations for their final road game of the regular season Saturday at Notre Dame.

Offensively, coordinator Brandon Streeter said there’s one specific area he’d like to see his unit improve on in order to give Clemson the best chance of getting out of Notre Dame Stadium with its perfect record intact. 

“It comes down to our execution and being able to finish some of the drives maybe that we’ve been stalling on,” Streeter said.

Clemson has been one of the best teams in the nation at getting points in the red zone, converting on 38 of its 39 red-zone trips. But Streeter would like even more of those possessions to reach the end zone. Ten of the Tigers’ red-zone scores have been field goals, including one their last time out against Syracuse.

Clemson ended a string of 21 unanswered points for the Orange just before halftime with B.T. Potter’s 44-yard field goal, but the Tigers had a prime opportunity for more when the Tigers drove to Syracuse’s 20-yard line a few players earlier. But Clemson lost a combined 6 yards after getting to the red zone, including an 11-yard sack of quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, before having to settle for Potter’s first kick.

The Tigers erased an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to take a 24-21 lead, but Clemson later had another drive deep into Syracuse territory that would’ve put it out of reach had the Tigers scored a touchdown. Instead, with freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik on in relief for a struggling Uiagalelei, the Tigers netted just 8 yards on three plays after reaching the Orange’s 35, forcing Potter to kicker another field goal that kept Syracuse within striking distance with 1 minute, 33 seconds remaining.

It wasn’t until the R.J. Mickens’ interception of Garrett Shrader with just a few ticks left that Clemson sealed the win, something Streeter wished the offense had been able to do when it had the chance.

“When we cross the 50-yard line, there’s been a couple of times where we haven’t finished in the end zone and leave it up to our kicker, who is so good,” Streeter said. “Thank goodness we have B.T. Potter. But just being able to finish in the red zone is something I’d like to see a better job of.”

Streeter threw out one other facet of the offense’s game that he’d like to see shored up, one that isn’t all that surprising given Clemson’s season-high four turnovers that had the Tigers needing to rally in the first place.

“Taking care of the football,” he said.

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Swinney betting on Uiagalelei again

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is well aware of the narrative about his quarterback. With D.J. Uiagalelei having thrown 14 interceptions in 21 career starts, he also understands why it exists. “That’s his story,” Swinney said this week. But Swinney has …

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is well aware of the narrative about his quarterback. With D.J. Uiagalelei having thrown 14 interceptions in 21 career starts, he also understands why it exists.

“That’s his story,” Swinney said this week.

But Swinney has already made one prediction about his quarterback that has largely come to fruition, and he’s betting on Uiagalelei again.

“He certainly didn’t have a good day (against Syracuse), but he’s played really well,” Swinney said. “There’s no way we’re 8-0 without him. He’s made huge plays with his legs and huge plays with his arm. He’s been a  great leader, and he’ll respond.”

Swinney is once again coming to Uiagalelei’s defense after an outing that more closely resembled one from last season than this one for Clemson’s quarterback. Uiagalelei was benched midway through the third quarter of the Tigers’ win over Syracuse last week after committing three turnovers.

It was an outlier this season for Uiagalelei, who had only been responsible for three turnovers through Clemson’s first seven games. Swinney backed Uiagalelei after the game, immediately shooting down any notion of a quarterback competition between Uiagalelei and true freshman Cade Klubnik, who played the final 21 minutes and change of Clemson’s comeback win over the Orange. It’s a position Swinney similarly found himself throughout the offseason, including in July during the ACC’s annual preseason kickoff media event in Charlotte.

Swinney said then that he believed Uiagalelei was going to be much improved from a forgettable sophomore season, one in which the former five-star signee threw more interceptions (10) than touchdown passes (9). For the most part, he has been.

Uiagalelei has still accounted for more than three times as many total touchdowns (21) as turnovers (6) so far this season. His completion rate (63.8) is up eight percentage points from what it was last season.

Saturday’s game was an outlier. At least that’s Swinney’s belief. Uiagalelei’s two interceptions matched his total for the season coming into the game, and his red-zone fumble in the first half turned into a scoop and score.

After the way things went for Uiagalelei and the rest of the offense a season ago, Clemson’s coaches and players said the Tigers lost confidence on that side of the ball. First-year offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter, who’s been Uiagalelei’s position coach for the last three seasons, said a focus for him during the bye week will be to make sure Uiagalelei doesn’t let one bad performance take away the cache he’s built for himself in that department throughout the course of this season.

“Playing quarterback, it’s 80 to 90% mental. It really is,” Streeter said. “So continuing to build him up and look at what he’s accomplished already as a starting quarterback. (Our winning streak) is at 14 in a row now. We’ve got the longest streak in the country, and he’s been our starting quarterback every single game the last 14 games. So just continue to build his confidence. He’s got a lot of it, but just making sure that it doesn’t waver at all.”

Uiagalelei will get his chance at further redemption when Clemson returns to action Nov. 5 at Notre Dame.

“He’s earned that, and I’ll go to battle with that guy any day,” Swinney said. “Now he’s obviously got to clean it up a little bit from the things he did (Saturday), and he will.”

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Bye-week musings

Saturday made for some anxious moments for Clemson’s coaches, players and fans. But the Tigers rallied from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter against Syracuse to win yet another game at Memorial Stadium. And with that, Clemson takes an 8-0 …

Saturday made for some anxious moments for Clemson’s coaches, players and fans. But the Tigers rallied from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter against Syracuse to win yet another game at Memorial Stadium.

And with that, Clemson takes an 8-0 record into the bye week.

The Tigers will get a little R&R while having an extra week to prepare for their next game at Notre Dame on Nov. 4. With Clemson taking a break in the action, it’s a good time to take inventory of the Tigers’ season so far while offering up some thoughts and observations as the Tigers get set to start a pivotal stretch run.

First of all, D.J. Uiagalelei deserves a shot at further redemption. Clemson’s quarterback has been one of the ACC’s biggest stories this season for most of the right reasons following the well-documented struggle that was 2021 for him. But Uiagalelei is coming off a performance that looked more like last season than this one. One of the primary reasons Clemson found itself in a 14-point hole at one point against Syracuse was Uiagalelei’s three turnovers, including that long scoop and score in the first half. It matched Uiagalelei’s turnover total on the season coming into the game, and it ultimately got him bench for the last quarter and a half.

But Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter quickly shot down any notion of an open quarterback competition heading into this week of practice, and rightfully so. Because, at least for now, Uiagalelei is still the quarterback that gives Clemson the best chance to win the ACC and national championships.

Cade Klubnik is talented in his own ways, but he’s still a true freshman that went just 2 of 4 passing for 19 yards once he came into the game. Clemson’s comeback had more to do with the fact that it quit turning the ball over in the final 21 minutes and change and a defense that pitched a second-half shutout and less to do with the quarterback change. 

Having said that, the quarterback situation is now a precarious one. Because the stakes are high (more on that later). Uiagalelei knows he can’t keep playing like he did against the Orange if he wants to keep his job, but Klubnik doesn’t have much big-game experience to this point. He’s only played in five games this season with his other appearances coming against Georgia Tech, Furman, Louisiana Tech and Boston College. His most extended playing time before Saturday came in mop-up duty against Georgia Tech. Are those the kind of reps that have him ready to help Clemson win meaningful games in November and potentially beyond if needed?

Perhaps the coaching staff’s biggest challenge over the next two weeks is helping keep Uiagalelei out of his own head. Staying positive with Uiagalelei and reinforcing the good he’s done this season are things Streeter mentioned after Saturday’s game. But Uiagalelei, who has still accounted for more than three times as many touchdowns as turnovers this season and is 19-4 as a starting quarterback at Clemson, deserves a chance to prove that Saturday’s performance was simply a bad day at the office.

Regardless who the quarterback is, Clemson needs to get its passing game back on track. Specifically, the explosives on the outside. Part of the Tigers’ offensive improvement this season has come in the big-play department as Clemson’s 29 passes of at least 20 yards are fourth-most in the ACC. But the Tigers have connected on just three such plays the last two weeks, and only one of those was caught by a wide receiver. Beaux Collins, who leads the team with five touchdown receptions, hasn’t caught a pass the last two games. That needs to change.

The defense is an enigma. At times – the six straight punts and 119 yards Clemson held Syracuse to in the second half being a prime example – the Tigers show the ability to take over on that side of the ball. Other times – think the first half against Syracuse and that Swiss-cheese fourth quarter against Florida State – opposing offenses make marching the length of the field look easy. There are times the pass rush is relentless (four second-half sacks against Syracuse). There are times it’s non-existent.

The defense has rarely been the dominant force many anticipated coming into the season. Even the group’s usual reliability in stopping the run – Clemson still ranks seventh nationally in that category – was shaken against Florida State when the Tigers allowed 206 yards on the ground in that six-point win. And not enough people, including this writer, made a big enough deal about just how difficult it was going to be to replace all the high-end talent Clemson lost in the secondary from last season, including a pair of all-conference corners and a sixth-year safety in Nolan Turner.

But there’s still plenty of talent on that side of the ball, even if some of it is younger and greener at some spots. Now the Tigers need to put it all together more consistently if they’re going to get to where they’re ultimately trying to go this season.

Is the offensive line starting to hit its stride? One lingering question after the first half of the season, at least in this writer’s mind, was could Clemson get enough push up front to balance out the offense against some of the better teams on the Tigers’ schedule?

Don’t look now, but Clemson has one of the top 40 rushing offenses in college football.

The line paved the way for a season-high 293 rushing yards last week, consistently getting movement against what was statistically the ACC’s top defense coming into the game. Take away sacks (which count against teams’ rushing totals in college football), and that number was well above 300.

That was after Clemson ran for 167 yards at Florida State, its best rushing output since going for more than 180 against Wake Forest three weeks earlier. The Tigers are averaging nearly half a first down per carry (4.4 yards) over the last two games and have rushed for at least 188 yards in four of their last six games. 

The pass protection has been solid all season. Clemson is allowing just 1.75 sacks per game, fourth-fewest in the ACC, and some of those, as Swinney has noted, have been a result of the quarterbacks holding onto the ball too long or trying to extend plays. Continuity has been vital for the offensive line as Clemson has had the same starting five in every game, and the group appears to be playing its best football heading into the home stretch.

Clemson needs to continue getting touches for Will Shipley. The Tigers have done that more the last two weeks than any other point in the season, and the sophomore running back has responded by averaging 8.1 yards per touch during that span. Shipley needed just one week to set a new career-high in all-purpose yards after going for 238 yards against Florida State, racking up 242 against Syracuse. That included a career-high 172 rushing yards, including the go-ahead, 50-yard scoring scamper in the fourth quarter.

Shipley also had another kickoff return that he nearly broke. He’s too dynamic and versatile of an athlete to not continue featuring, and Clemson needs to keep feeding him in as many ways as possible.

Speaking of dynamic players, Antonio Williams should be the primary punt returner. Clemson has tinkered with putting Williams and Will Taylor back at the same time the last couple of weeks, but that’s an experiment that should end. Taylor hasn’t looked completely comfortable coming back from his season-ending knee injury last year.

But even if he did, Williams looks like a natural fielding punts and brings a different level of playmaking ability in that role. Williams also leads Clemson in receptions, by the way, but the true freshman brought many of the fans in attendance last week to their feet with a zig-zagging 18-yard return in which he avoided numerous would-be tackles and nearly broke free down the sideline. He’s averaging 7 yards per return compared to Taylor’s 2.6.

Is Clemson a national-championship caliber team? From a results standpoint, the Tigers’ perfect record looms large. Because if the Tigers run the table, they’re almost certainly returning to the College Football Playoff (no, three one-loss SEC teams aren’t getting in over Clemson or any other Power Five unbeaten should things play out that way. At least, I don’t think so?). But is Clemson elite? Would the Tigers beat Georgia or Ohio State or even Michigan, Tennessee or Alabama (whose only loss came on the road by three to the Vols) on a neutral field?

That’s hard to say right now based on some of the close calls the Tigers have had, but there’s still a lot of football to be played. Go back to 2016 when Clemson didn’t always look great – a six-point escape from Troy and that home loss to Pittsburgh come to mind – before going on to win the national championship that season.

If feels like there’s another level this year’s team is capable of reaching, but, at some point, Clemson will have to show it can get there by putting it all together for four quarters. Because that’s what the Tigers’ title aspirations will require.

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!

Streeter on Klubnik’s performance: ‘That’s what you hope for’

While there’s always a game plan in place, you never know what Saturday may bring come kickoff and Saturday was no different for Clemson’s Cade Klubnik. The true freshman came into the Tigers’ matchup against Syracuse knowing D.J. Uiagalelei would …

While there’s always a game plan in place, you never know what Saturday may bring come kickoff and Saturday was no different for Clemson’s Cade Klubnik. The true freshman came into the Tigers’ matchup against Syracuse knowing D.J. Uiagalelei would be the starter, but when Uiagalelei continued to struggle late, it was time for Klubnik to shine… and shine he did.

“That’s what you hope for,” offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter said. “When you have a guy that is special like Cade that you know can spark some energy into the group and really just get it going. That’s the sign of a kid that’s number one just ready to go and that isn’t scared of the moment at all. Just excited for him and for him to finally be able to get out onto the field. He hadn’t had a ton of game experience and for him to go out there with a lot of confidence and do some good things, I was really pleased.”

For Klubnik, his confidence comes from the hours and days of preparation leading up to this point. So, when his name was called late versus Syracuse, the Texas native was ready to go and soak it all in.

“Coach [Dabo] Swinney’s been saying, ‘Confidence comes from preparation,’” Klubnik said. “Coach Swinney, coach Streeter and that whole QB room, we’ve been preparing all week and we prepare every week like every single one of us is going to start the game, so I went into it excited to get my moment.”

And what a moment he had. While Klubnik came away with just 2-for-4 completions and 19 yards passing along with six carries for 15 yards, the backup led the Tigers to two back-to-back touchdown drives in the fourth quarter to take the lead back for good and save Clemson’s undefeated season — a feat Klubnik is still coming to terms with following their latest win over the Orange, but one thing he is thankful for is the constant love and support from his starter in Uiagalelei.

“D.J.’s such a loving guy and our relationship is just so tight,” the former five-star prospect said. “I think a lot of people see it more as a competition, but it’s really a loving opportunity that we have for each other. He’s been able to push me in so many ways and I’ve been able to do the same for him. I just try to be the best leader I can be in every opportunity. He just gave me some last-minute tips and said, ‘Just go score,’ and just had full trust in me. Just super thankful for him for that.”

Now with his own special Clemson moment in the rearview, Klubnik is reminded of the great privilege it is to don the paw and Clemson orange while being surrounded by people who push him to be the best version of himself — a reality he won’t ever take for granted.

“I’m just so thankful to be here,” Klubnik said. “I think there’s a lot of people that would love to play football at Clemson and I’m just so thankful for this opportunity to even be here, to wear the paw on my helmet, the orange uniform and to be around such great people every day. I kinda needed to just take a step back and enjoy every moment that I have. You only play at most, 16 days out of every 365 days in a year. You prepared the entire year for those 16 days and it’s sometimes not about those 16 days, it’s about everything else. It’s been so fun to just soak it all in these past 10 minutes. It’s been really cool.”

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!

Clemson survives an uncharacteristically ‘sloppy’ day

Clemson was down bad. In fact, sitting in a 14-point hole late in the second quarter against Syracuse, the Tigers were staring at the largest deficit they’ve seen all season. And the primary reason for it was uncharacteristic for this Clemson team. …

Clemson was down bad.

In fact, sitting in a 14-point hole late in the second quarter against Syracuse, the Tigers were staring at the largest deficit they’ve seen all season. And the primary reason for it was uncharacteristic for this Clemson team.

The Tigers entered Saturday’s game with the 18th-best turnover margin in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Clemson had turned the ball over just five times all season and once in its previous four games combined.

But the Tigers deviated from their usual knack for ball security against the Orange, reaching a degree Clemson hasn’t seen in years. The Tigers remained unbeaten Saturday but not before surviving four turnovers. It’s the most for Clemson since coughing it up three times in a win over Wake Forest last November, and the Tigers had not had a four-turnover game going back at least five seasons.

The Tigers may have had to go to overtime or worse against Syracuse if not for R.J. Mickens saving the day with his interception of Garrett Shrader on the Orange’s final possession on Clemson’s side of midfield. It was Clemson’s lone takeaway on a day in which it finished minus-3 in turnover margin, the first time the Tigers have finished in the red in that department in 12 games dating back to last season.

It’s only the third time during Dabo Swinney’s 15-year tenure as head coach that the Tigers have won when finishing minus-3 or worse.

“That’s something we’ve been doing very, very well,” offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter said of Clemson’s ball protection. “And I hate that today we just struggled taking care of the ball.”

D.J. Uiagalelei was the primary culprit. Clemson’s quarterback had turned it over just three times through the first seven games as part of his renaissance campaign. But Saturday was a flashback of sorts to Uiagalelei’s 2021 struggles with accuracy and decision-making.

He matched his turnover total on the season in two and a half quarters, tossing a pair of interceptions and losing a fumble that was returned 90 yards midway through the second quarter to give Syracuse a 14-7 lead. For Swinney, it brought back unpleasant memories of West Virginia’s 99-yard house call following a goal-line fumble in the Tigers’ forgettable postseason showing in south Florida in 2012.

“The last time I saw that was in the Orange Bowl, and we didn’t recover,” Swinney said. “We never recovered, but we were a very immature program then, too.” 

Uiagalelei’s fumble was preceded by an underthrown ball on a corner route that was intercepted on another drive deep in Orange territory. Running back Will Shipley also lost the ball with Clemson closing in on the red zone on its second possession of the second half, the lowlight of an otherwise career day for the sophomore running back.

All of the Tigers’ giveaways occurred at midfield or on Syracuse’s side of it, making the turnovers even more frustrating for the Tigers on a day when Clemson had 10 more first downs than Syracuse and racked up 450 yards of offense.

“I’m proud of our staff, especially our offensive staff, especially Streeter” Swinney said. “Because it’s kind of frustrating when you’re moving the ball, you’re going up and down the field, you have almost 500 yards, you rush for (close to) 300 yards, and you feel like you have control of the game. You have 27 first downs, and we had at least five trips into plus territory where we got no points.” 

When Uiagalelei was picked off again later in the third quarter on a pass that sailed well over the head of tight end Jake Briningstool – a miscue that set Syracuse’s offense up near midfield already leading 21-10 – Clemson’s coaches had seen enough. The Tigers turned to true freshman Cade Klubnik, who ran it (six rushes) more than he threw it (four pass attempts) on a day when Clemson ran for a season-high 293 yards.

“Just one of them days,” Swinney said. “D.J.’s been awesome all year, and sometimes the ball doesn’t go in the basket. Sometimes Steph Curry goes 3-for-22. Sometimes it won’t go in. Sometimes you’ve got to give someone else an opportunity.”

Klubnik helped lead a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown drives, and, most importantly, Clemson played turnover-free ball the final 21:27 minutes of game time. The defense also kept the Tigers within reach by forcing six straight punts before Mickens’ game-sealing pick, holding the Orange to 1 of 7 on third down and 119 yards in the final two quarters.

“We just kept believing,” Streeter said. “Overcoming four turnovers, that’s hard to do. So you know you’ve got something special when you can do that.”

It all helped the Tigers escape with a win that keeps them in control of their own destiny in the ACC and beyond, even if it was one they felt like they were trying to give away at times.

“We can’t be sloppy with the ball and expect to win games like that very often,” Swinney said.

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!