Cade Klubnik explains difference in mindset during ACC title game compared to previous games played

Clemson‘s ACC Championship win had an unlikely hero, as freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik took the reigns of the offense in the third possession and led the Tigers to a 39-10 victory over North Carolina. Klubnik had seen some limited action during the regular season, but played on a completely different level on Saturday when receiving the most snaps he’d seen so far in his collegiate career.

“Yeah I think I had a little bit of a different mindset today, I’m not exactly sure what it was but I was pretty pumped, and I just came ready to play free and just trusting God’s timing with everything,” Klubnik explained. “That’s what I’ve learned most over the past six months really is just trusting God’s time with it and just having peace in that and having joy in that.”

Klubnik’s last six months on the field were definitely interesting, he saw his first playing time in the team’s opening game against Georgia Tech, where he manned the final drive in the Tiger’s blowout victory over the Yellow Jackets capped off by the first touchdown pass of his career.

He appeared in seven regular season games from that point forward, throwing no more than five pass attempts in any contest. Klubnik’s season had highs and lows, he took over for DJ Uiagalelei in their third-quarter matchup versus Syracuse, only throwing four pass attempts, but rushing the ball six times on the way to their third win over a ranked opponent of the season.

Klubnik also came in during the Tiger’s game against Notre Dame, throwing just one pass that was intercepted and returned for a 96-yard touchdown. He only threw two passes for the Tigers for the remainder of the regular season after that play, until the ACC Championship game, where he had am excellent performance and set multiple career highs for himself.

“I didn’t know how the game was gonna go, I really didn’t, but I just knew God was in control of the whole thing from the very start from the first snap to now and it’s been awesome to see what he’s been doing and just to be able to honor him through that, it’s been awesome,” Klubnik said.

Klubnik completed 20 of his 24 pass attempts for 279 yards in the air and a touchdown pass, adding a touchdown run to his day as well. He will have his first career start in the team’s season finale versus Tennessee in the Orange Bowl on December 30, as the true freshman has now set the bar pretty high for himself for his next outing.