Quick Thoughts: Switch to Klubnik lights needed spark, but brings more questions with it

Klubnik (2) celebrates with his teammates.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat Dec 03 23:39:11 GMT-04:00 2022

CHARLOTTE, NC – Dabo Swinney told the media Friday that he would love to see a perfect game out of his Tigers. Most fans simply wanted a complete game. Saturday’s win over North Carolina was far from perfect, but it was the Tigers’ most complete game of the season, and it all started with a spark named Cade and an ember named Nate.

Clemson got off to a bad start, going 3-and-out on the first offensive drive and then allowing North Carolina to march down the field for an opening-drive touchdown. Another 3-and-out followed. And then magic happened as Clemson routed UNC 39-10 Saturday night in the ACC Championship Game.

Starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei started the game 2-for-5 for just 10 yards, and the Tigers inserted backup quarterback Cade Klubnik into the game on the third drive as the Clemson fans in the stadium erupted in cheers.

The change at quarterback was just the spark the Tigers’ offense needed.

Klubnik led four scoring drives in the first half, the last points coming on a 52-yard field goal from BT Potter, and the Tigers led 24-10 at intermission.

But the Tigers have held leads, including last week in a dismal loss to South Carolina. Leads have been lost. UNC threatened time after time, and time after time Clemson’s defense held while the offense tried to find its way in the second half. It was Nate Wiggins’ 98-yard interception return for a touchdown that looked like the kind of play the Tigers have needed all season. Clemson hasn’t had an issue getting leads – the issue has been holding those leads and an inability to put teams away.

Wiggins’ interception was the first step in putting a foot on the throat of the Tar Heels, and continued his good night as you can say he was responsible for denying the Heels 17 points (he also had a field goal block). The Clemson defense held yet again and the Tigers came out throwing. A 43-yarder to Brannon Spector – on a seed from Klubnik – and a 16-yarder to Allen set up Will Shipley’s one-yard run that gave the Tigers a 39-10 lead.

Foot meet throat. When Clemson forced a turnover on downs with 11:33 remaining, the suffocation was complete and all the air left the North Carolina sideline and the blue side of the stadium.

But there is no denying that Klubnik was the spark this Clemson offense needed. Early in the first half, after UNC’s Drake Maye escaped the pocket and converted a tough third down, I remarked on social media that I remember when Clemson did that to other teams. It’s something we haven’t seen in two years, the ability to make plays on tough third downs. Yet here was Klubnik, throwing darts all over the yard with the confidence of an upperclassman.

As for the Clemson defense, it was bend-but-not-break all night. Five times North Carolina made a trip into the redzone through the early part of the fourth quarter and the Heels only came away with 10 points. A blocked field goal, a turnover on downs and the interception held the UNC offense at bay.

Over the course of the season, and especially in the second half of games, we’ve seen the defense make stops only to see the offense turn the ball over and fail to gain any traction, putting the defense back on the field.

Not Saturday.

The spark and the ember led to a raging inferno that was a much-needed win. But now there are questions. If the staff had made this move last week, would the Tigers find themselves in Playoff contention? Probably. Was it too late? You can make your own assumptions, but there is no denying the offense looked different than it has all season.

Plenty of questions, for sure. But for one night, there were more answers than questions.

the longest interception returned for a touchdown in ACC Championship Game history belongs to @WigginNathaniel.

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— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) December 4, 2022