CLEMSON — All Cade Klubnik can do now is grow from the mistake that cost Clemson a double-overtime loss at Miami this past Saturday.

Trailing the Hurricanes 28-20 in the second overtime, the Tigers found themselves about six inches from the goal line on fourth-and-goal. They needed a touchdown and a successful two-point conversion to extend the game.

Offensive coordinator Garrett Riley called for a Will Shipley handoff. However, that was not the play Klubnik ran. Instead, the Clemson quarterback went rogue and pulled the football in hopes of running it in for a touchdown off the left side.

Unfortunately for the sophomore, Miami linebacker Corey Flagg ran him down for an eight-yard loss to end the game.

“There were a lot of mistakes throughout the whole game,” Klubnik said Monday. “Obviously, in a game like that, everybody is going to point to the last one, and I am pointing to the last one myself.”

That mistake likely cost Clemson a shot at advancing to the ACC Championship Game in December. It caused the Tigers to fall to 2-3 in the ACC and 4-3 overall.

The 2023 season marks the second time in three seasons the Tigers have opened a year at 4-3 after seven games. Clemson is also 2-3 in conference play for the first time since 2010.

“But you have to do an evaluation of the game as a whole,” Klubnik said. “There are a lot of plays we want back and that is definitely one of them.”

Besides going rogue on the game’s final play, Klubnik had an up-and-down night at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. He threw for 318 yards and two touchdowns, including a 50-yard completion to tight end Jake Briningstool.

His two touchdowns also went to Briningstool, who hauled in a career-best five catches for a career-high 126 yards. The touchdowns covered 32 and 19 yards. Both were great throws and both were great catches.

However, Klubnik also lost a fumble on a potential scoring drive. He also threw an interception that cost Clemson field position just before halftime, and was just 18-for-34 passing with a lot of those misses coming in the fourth quarter and overtime.

“You got to look at the whole picture and continue to learn how to grow,” he said. “I am thankful for games like that because I am going to have a long career here.

“I am having great conversations with the coaches and other guys. You can go two ways with this and our way is that we are going to continue to grow and get better every week.”

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