It can be tough to stay humble following a performance as historic as quarterback Cade Klubnik’s. However, when speaking to the media on Wednesday, he spoke and acted like the same player that fans and media have seen throughout his time with the Tigers.
When Klubnik spoke about Clemson’s previous game, he credits everybody on the field for an almost flawless performance.
“When you’ve got five touchdowns with a bunch of different receivers like Antonio [Williams], Bryant [Wesco], TJ [Moore], [and] Jake [Briningstool], that’s what’s really fun,” he said on Wednesday. “It’s really got the whole offense coming together, and five guys up front protecting the whole game.”
Cade Klubnik
One of the biggest quotes following the Tigers’ opening loss to Georgia was when a Clemson coach told Klubnik that he only had to “manage games in order to win them”. After a performance of 378 yards and five touchdown passes, and adding on two more on the ground, Klubnik adds that he did not have to make any “Johnny Manziel-run around the field” type plays to give Clemson its historic performance.
“What we did was just being really efficient,” Klubnik said. “We protected up front, our routes were crisp [and] on our targets. . .we were very detailed in what we did at the end of the day.”
“Managing the game is taking care of downs, knowing the situation,” he added. “You’re just not getting outside the system. . .doing what you do every day in practice and not trying to make anymore just because you’ve got a couple more people watching against different teams.”
A lot of eyes were on Clemson’s offensive line in the first two weeks of the season following the appointment of new offensive line coach. Klubnik continued to rave about the protection that the line gave him while highlighting the only new addition to the line: center Ryan Linthicum. After being called “the team MVP” on Tuesday by head coach Dabo Swinney, Klubnik doubled down on the take.
“Respect isn’t something you really ask for, it’s something you earn, and he’s really earned that this past year,” Klubnik said. “The way that he’s played these last two games, so just really proud of the way that he’s led those guys. That’s a really tight group and a group that I have just so much respect for, especially with Ryan.”
The next target for the Tigers is the NC State Wolfpack, who currently own the bragging rights over the Tigers following a 24-17 loss at Carter-Finley Stadium to take back the Textile Bowl. That was Klubnik’s only time facing the Wolfpack as starting quarterback, and he has become more familiar with the rivalry since stepping foot on campus in 2022.
“It’s a great game against a great opponent. They’re always going to bring their best and we’re going to bring out best, but it’s a great game. They’re a heck of an opponent every year, and they’ll always really challenge us a ton.”
Klubnik hopes to see more of the offense that was executed against Appalachian State, where the team totaled 700 total yards of offense, which was the first time since 2019. While the Wolfpack are a stronger opponent, especially with both teams hoping to begin ACC play with a win, Klubnik believes that the team can have the same successes against a “unique” defense in NC State, as Klubnik calls the Wolfpack defense, who specialize in a three-man rush and dropping eight defenders in coverage.
“A lot of it is game plan stuff, and we kind of knew we could run by some of those guys,” he detailed. “We want to always be on the attack mode, and I think that was the plan for App. State and that’s something that we want to continue to replicate for the rest of the season.”
“They’ll definitely mix up some man and some other coverages too, they do a great job of doing it well and they’re very well coached and very disciplined in what they do,” he added. “so just having a great plan and just going to execute and trust in my eyes and trust my preparation when I get out there.”
Klubnik and the Tigers will be back at Memorial Stadium on Saturday for a noon kickoff against the Wolfpack. The game will be broadcast on ABC.
