Dabo Swinney addresses Cade Klubnik vs DJ Uiagalelei after first career touchdown pass

After winning their season opener, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney commented on the quarterback battle between DJ Uiagalelei and Cade Klubnik. Uiagalelei has the full confidence of Swinney according to his comments after the game, but Klubnik scoring a touchdown on his first career drive for the Tigers has added another layer of pressure to Uiagalelei after Monday night.

Dabo Swinney on the performance of Uiagalelei and Klubnik

Swinney spoke after the big win about how they put together a full game on offense, defense and special teams — and praised his team’s effort before addressing why they put Klubnik in for their final offensive drive of the night.

“To see Cade go in there and get his first experience,” said Swinney. “We weren’t trying to run the score up, but we just needed to let him play so we could get real meaningful snaps there.”

The Clemson coach was asked how it felt having two viable quarterbacks, and how Monday’s game would affect their quarterback decision going forward.

“We’ve got competition at every position. But I think to be great, you’ve gotta be selfless. And that’s just the way it is. You’ve gotta be a selfless player, you gotta be ready and you gotta root for your teammates. This is a special team in that way, they’re very selfless. They’re very self-aware. They really love each other, they pull for each other. Man, I promise you, nobody was pulling more for DJ to have a good night than Cade. They’re just two really amazing, humble young people that love and support each other.”

The first quarter saw Clemson’s offense struggle mightily, as the first drive of the game ended with a three-and-out after a botched snap. The following possession, Uiagalelei fumbled the ball while scrambling for a first down. The Tigers’ first four drives of the game ended with three punts and a turnover, with a grand total of 55 total yards.

The Clemson defense continued their dominance after the first quarter ended, blocking Georgia Tech’s punt on the following drive and recovering the ball on the five-yard line. Clemson nearly stalled out despite the goal line field position, but managed to finish the drive with a touchdown on fourth down. Uiagalelei picked up his night shortly afterwards, leading Clemson’s best drive of the night and finishing with a touchdown pass to put them up 14-0.

Late in the game, the quarterback battle storyline for Clemson popped up as Klubnik got his first action for the Tigers. He punched in a touchdown drive to close the game in efficient fashion, throwing 4-for-6 and finding targets across the field. Although he got in the game on the tail-end of a blowout, Klubnik’s drive re-opened the quarterback battle debate among fans — with plenty of reason to be excited to see him taking snaps again.