Despite the 2-2 record through four games, Cade Klubnik still has plenty of faith in his football team.

Clemson’s starting quarterback met with the media Monday and gave some candid thoughts in the wake of the Tigers’ tough overtime loss to Florida State last Saturday at Death Valley.

“I think that this might be the best thing that could ever happen for us, and happen for me,” said Klubnik, who went 25-of-38 passing for 283 yards and scored two total touchdowns against the Seminoles.

Take away some costly mistakes that have plagued Clemson to this point in the season, and Klubnik believes the Tigers would have an unblemished record heading into Saturday’s matchup at Syracuse (12 p.m., ABC).

Unfortunately for the Tigers, Klubnik knows they can’t take those plays back.

“I think that we have a really freakin’ good football team. I really do,” he said. “I mean, we have a very good football team, and it’s just kind of unfortunate. We’re three plays away from being 4-0, and you really just wish you could have one of those plays back. But more than anything, I’m just so proud of the way that we played on Saturday. We never quit. We never stopped believing for a second. We freakin’ got after it from the very start. Just gotta find a way to win it. That’s really what it comes down to.”

The loss to FSU crushed the playoff hopes for this year’s Clemson team that came into the season with the goal of competing for a national championship. And with an 0-2 record in ACC play, the Tigers need a lot to go right for them to have a shot at competing for the conference championship in 2023.

But regardless of how things have gone thus far this season, Klubnik says the expectation for Clemson’s program hasn’t changed and won’t moving forward.

“We have a very young team, and that’s not an excuse – that’s exciting,” he said. “That’s very exciting, that we have a very young team that isn’t content with where we are. They know the expectation around here, and every year we walk into this thing, we’re looking to be at the top of the hill. That’s the expectation around here, and that’s going to continue to be.”

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