Who do you think they go with?
The focus this week will be on Syracuse, but one can’t help but look ahead to the tilt against Clemson. Yes, both the Orangemen and Tigers are ranked, but with Dabo Swinney’s team coming from behind to defeat Dino Baber’s squad this past weekend, the Tigers exposed some of Syracuse’s weaknesses.
One of them was their inability to put Clemson away, after leading 21-7 at the end of the second quarter, Syracuse didn’t score again and allowed the home team to mount a comeback. It wasn’t starter DJ Uiagalelei leading the second half charge, it was true freshman Cade Klubnik. That begs the question of who will start for Clemson in two weeks when they face the Irish.
Actions speak louder than words, especially in sports and while Uiagalelei has taken the majority of the snaps this year, it’s conceivable that Klubnik will get some playing time for the Tigers. What makes this tough for the Irish is that Clemson has an off week and could be preparing the freshman to make his first start.
If Swinney isn’t afraid to throw him to the fire against an undefeated Syracuse team, why would he be cautious against a Notre Dame team that has struggled? There are a few factors here, one is history and the other is location.
Uiagalelei torched the Irish in his second ever start two seasons ago, throwing for 439 yards with two scores through the air and one on the ground, no interceptions and guiding his visiting team to 40 points albeit in a loss in double-overtime.
The other factor that could sway Swinney’s decision is that the game is on the road. Does he want a Klubnik’s first start to be on the road?
Even with up and down play from his incumbent starter, if I was Swinney, I’d stick to how they got to 8-0, with Uiagalelei starting. The good news for him is that he knows if his starter struggles, there’s a capable back-up waiting in the wings. It will be very interesting to see how this plays out in a little under two weeks as they take on the Irish.
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