On Saturday against North Carolina, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik looked like the quarterback many expected him to be coming into the season.

Touted as a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate, Klubnik hasn’t played up to the hype, and his struggles to start this season have been well-documented. The senior signal-caller entered Saturday’s game having thrown for 996 yards with six touchdowns, four interceptions and a 60.1 completion percentage through four games.

However, while Klubnik hasn’t gotten off to the start he had hoped for, he got right on Saturday and shined against the Tar Heels (2-3, 0-1 ACC), carving up their defense to the tune of four touchdown passes – all in the first half, and three in the first quarter alone – helping lead the Tigers (2-3, 1-2 ACC) to a 38-10 victory in Chapel Hill.

Per Clemson Assistant Athletic Director for Football Communications, Ross Taylor, Klubnik is only the second quarterback at the college or NFL level ever to throw four touchdown passes in a single half against a team led by Bill Belichick as a head coach. Patrick Mahomes threw four second-half touchdowns against Belichick’s Patriots on Oct. 14, 2018.

Klubnik was highly efficient in the outstanding performance, completing 22 of his 24 passes for 254 yards. With the game well in hand, backup quarterback Christopher Vizzina replaced Klubnik late in the third quarter.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Klubnik connected with running back Adam Randall for touchdowns of 35 and 23 yards, and found tight end Christian Bentancur for scores of 45 and 8 yards.

Klubnik’s four touchdown passes mark his season high and are one shy of his career high. He threw for five touchdowns against App State in September 2024.

Klubnik, who had a passer rating of 124.6 for the season coming into Saturday, posted a sparkling 235.6 passer rating against UNC.

Klubnik and the Tigers return to action next Saturday at Boston College (7:30 p.m., ACC Network).