Dabo Swinney talks Cade Klubnik’s big game, Clemson QB change after ACC title win
Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney addressed the team’s quarterback situation after a 39-10 ACC championship win over North Carolina on Saturday night.
Swinney benched starter DJ Uiagalelei for backup Cade Klubnik midway through the first quarter, and the latter threw for 279 yards and scored two touchdowns to give the Tigers their seventh ACC championship in eight years.
Here’s what Swinney said in his postgame interview with ABC.
“We went into the game saying we were gonna play (Klubnik) on the third series. We hoped DJ would start off well. He didn’t, and so Cade came in and did a heck of a job. The reality is, we wouldn’t have won the Atlantic (Division) and we wouldn’t have been here tonight without DJ, and we wouldn’t have won the ACC championship without Cade.
“It’s awesome to see this young man grow up. We tried to make the change at Notre Dame, he wasn’t quite ready. DJ bounced back, played well against Louisville and Miami. But tonight was an opportunity for (Cade). He’s ready. He worked his butt off all year. It’s great to see him play.”
Uiagalelei was 2 of 5 for 10 yards before being benched after two series. Klubnik, a former five-star recruit from Texas, provided an immediate spark for Clemson’s offense and ended up leading three consecutive touchdown drives and four consecutive scoring drives in the first half.
Here’s what else Swinney said about the quarterback situation postgame.
On the QB situation
“You saw what Cade could do tonight. Man, he’s worked his butt off all year to get ready.”
“Thought he might take it in the Notre Dame game; it didn’t work out, but he’s just kept grinding and kept preparing, and then tonight, man, he took it and didn’t look back.”
“Again, I’m proud of DJ and the leader he is and just the man of character that he is, and the reality is we would not have won the Atlantic and been here tonight without him and wouldn’t have won the ACC Championship without Klubnik.”
It was a great team win and great to be a part of, and, again, look forward to putting a good plan together and going down and competing in the Orange Bowl.
On the plan for Cade Klubnik
“Yeah, we made the decision (last) Sunday. I called Cade last Sunday and kind of told him what we were going to do. It’s kind of one of those things that it could have happened earlier, and guys got to earn it.”
“I’ve got a quarterback coach (offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter) that’s coached some great ones, and he’s coached the best of the best. Cade will be the first one to tell you, he really wasn’t ready early, but he kept getting ready and he kept doing what he needed to do.”
“Again, I thought the Notre Dame game maybe it would happen. We struggled there. Again, DJ led us to the longest winning streak in the country, and after the Syracuse game we’re like, okay, and then obviously he goes in, throws a pick, and then we put DJ back in and he really played well.”
“(DJ) really played well down to finish that game, and then he played two of his best games against Louisville and against Miami. Going into those games, knowing that a change was there if he didn’t play well.”
“Then obviously this past week he gets all the blame and stuff, but he wasn’t the reason we lost that game. Everybody just said, oh, he was this or this, but we had five drops. We had fumbles. We gave up 360 yards passing. He took his share of it.”
“But certainly he didn’t do some things well, either, so we went into this game and he knew it, too, that here’s where we are. And you saw the first two series. He missed some easy plays.”
“We already knew he was going in, and then Cade went in and played well, and it happened. That’s how it goes.”
It was a great night, and again, a glimpse of our future and what it looks like at Clemson. I’m really happy for him, and yeah, (Cade) definitely has earned his opportunity to go start.
On if he regrets not playing Klubnik against South Carolina
“I’ve got a lot of regrets from the South Carolina game, but not really. Again, DJ is not why we lost. But hindsight is always 20/20. There’s a lot of things I wish we could have done over like 4th and 1 and not fumbled the ball.”
“There’s a lot of things I wish we had a chance to do over, but you don’t get a chance to do that. It’s all about what’s next for us.”
On not rushing Klubnik in as a starter
“Well, I mean, one game doesn’t make a career. He’s got a long way to go and a lot of consistency ahead to kind of be there. But we recruited him with certainly high expectations, and he’s coming in here, he’s never lost a game as a starter, and he won three state championships in high school.”
“Now he’s coming here as a freshman and got MVP of his first championship game. So he’s a special talent, and we knew that. We also knew he needed to develop some, and he’s really put the work in. He’s worked on his body. He’s not quite 200, but he’s right there, and he’s really grasped things from just an offensive standpoint.”
“But ... he certainly has all the capability and all the tools to really be a great one. That’s what we felt like him coming into this program.”
“Sometimes you can put a guy out there too early, but you also have to have — it’s got to be a situation where a guy earns it. It happens when it happens.”
“Tonight it kind of turned and he took it and ran with it. Again, he’s got to keep it going. As soon as he has a bad game and we get the next guy in there, we’ll probably want that backup to come on in. He’s got a ways to go, but it’s a great start for him for sure. A huge confidence boost.”
On DJ Uiagalelei’s future
“Yeah, DJ, he’s a special person. He handles everything the right way. He handles everything with class. He understood and knew — Streeter and I talked to both of them, as well.”
“We hoped that he’d play well, but he didn’t have a great series, especially the first series there. But we stuck with the plan, and then the rest is history. You’ve got to give credit to Cade for that. He kind of came in and took it, and it happened.”
“Moving forward, Cade will be the starter going in and DJ will be the backup. We’ll keep moving forward, and I’m sure there will be plenty of conversations -- he graduates in a week or so, so he’s got a bright future. He’s got a bright future. Obviously it didn’t end tonight the way he would like, but he’s got a bright, bright future as a football player.”
“He’s a guy that always have a special place in my heart because nobody has ever worked harder, nobody has ever been more respected in this program. These guys love DJ, and I do, too.”
On if Klubnik had played better in practice in November
“Yeah, I think so. Street felt good about it. He’s practiced well. I thought he had a great week this week. He got a little bit more work with the ones this week.”
“But he’s taken advantage of his opportunity again tonight. He was ready, and it was good to see. Right out of the gate, we put a little (run-pass option) — we kind of loaded him up with some RPO stuff that’s very natural for him, and he did a great job with his decision making as far as his give, his pull, his throw.”
“The first one was just an RPO throw that he threw out there to Antonio (Williams) and got a little rhythm going, and you saw what he could do with his legs. And a beautiful throw to Cole (Turner) and then great catch, great play by him, as well.”
This story was originally published December 3, 2022 at 11:59 PM with the headline "Dabo Swinney talks Cade Klubnik’s big game, Clemson QB change after ACC title win."
