Cade Klubnik shares offensive takeaways from Clemson scrimmage

Many are wondering what Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik will look like this season in his first year as the Tigers’ full-time starting quarterback, especially under new offensive coordinator Garrett Riley.

The Tigers have reached the home stretch of fall camp, and following their most recent scrimmage, Klubnik revealed what stood out about the performance of the offense.

“I would say one, the way that we bounce back,” Klubnik said. “In the first one, we had a bit of a rocky start in the first two drives and the way we bounced back. I mean the first two drives were a little rocky and then it was like the rest of the day we just dominated. Not necessarily dominated, our defense obviously did great, but just the way we didn’t let two bad drives carry on through the rest of the scrimmage or another ‘game’, you know what I mean?”

The Tigers bounced back last season after not being crowned ACC champions in 2021 following six straight conference title wins. Klubnik made his first career start for Clemson in the ACC Championship game last season and delivered, helping lead the Tigers to a 39–10 win over North Carolina behind his 279 yards in the air and two total touchdowns.

But their offense’s ability to be resilient and bounce back within the field of play could be crucial this season as the team strives to secure another conference championship this season.

“So the way that we just, ‘Alright, we messed up a little bit, let’s bounce back and let’s just go play.’ We really just kind of brushed off what happened and just went and played. And then third drive we put like a 75-yard drive together, and then two-minute we won that, things just bounced back and that was just really good to see in our offense,” Klubnik said. “That was really good.”

Clemson’s offensive ability to perform against a defense primed to be one of the best in the ACC yet again is a great sign, and so is Klubnik maturing as a quarterback with his perspective and approach to the game.

“The other thing, and kind of my standpoint and all the QBs in general, is in scrimmages and stuff like that we can kind of get antsy to take big shots and you want to make the big plays,” Klubnik explained. “But it’s just taking what they give you. Taking the easy stuff and taking the hitch route, taking the little slant and ultimately that’s what puts drives together. We’re not looking for a touchdown every single play, we’re just looking to get the next first down.”

A resilient offense and a talented quarterback with a great understanding of the game could be a recipe for success for Clemson’s offense this year, as they open up the season with a trip to Duke on September 4 at 8:00 p.m. ET in a conference matchup airing on ESPN.