Fox Sports’ lead college football analyst, Joel Klatt, recapped the matchup between 12th-seeded Clemson and No. 5 seed Texas in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Making their seventh CFP appearance and first since 2020, the Tigers put forth a really gutsy performance while showing plenty of heart and fight, but ultimately fell short in their 38-24 loss to the Longhorns this past Saturday.
“Texas is a tough road environment, and Clemson goes to Texas and they lose that game, and Texas is able to win. And listen, this was going to be a hearty ask from this Clemson team,” Klatt said. “This is a team that I don’t think any of us this year — in particular after they lost that first game to Georgia — any of us thought to ourselves, like, ‘Yeah, they’re definitely going to make a run.’ So in a lot of ways, this team overachieved to get to this point, thanks in part to Fran Brown and the Syracuse Orange for beating Miami. They get into that game against SMU, they beat SMU, and they really earned their way into the College Football Playoff. And you know what, they played that way. They played that way. Of all the road teams, Clemson gave the best performance.”
Clemson (10-4) cut a 21-point deficit to a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but Texas (12-2) held off a pair of potential scoring drives late to hold on for the victory at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. The Tigers had two fourth-quarter drives stall as they tried to cut into the lead again, including a fourth-down stop on the 1-yard line.
The Longhorns were able to withstand an impressive performance from Clemson junior quarterback Cade Klubnik, who led the comeback bid and did his best to rally the Tigers.
Playing in his hometown, Klubnik completed 26-of-43 passes for 336 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, and Klatt credited Klubnik for turning into “Superman” and keeping Clemson within striking distance of Texas.
“If you can’t run the football, your quarterback has to be Superman. Well in this one in Austin, Clemson could not run the football, and Klubnik basically did turn into Superman,” Klatt said. “Cade Klubnik is the only reason that Clemson is in that game. At one point in the fourth quarter, it’s a one-possession game. They’re sitting there on a fourth-and-goal to try to make it a one-possession game even deep into the fourth quarter. And why? It’s because Klubnik was terrific. He was really terrific. And let’s be honest, kind of happy for the guy. He’s on a homecoming, he played in the Austin area in high school, and here he is coming back, he’s playing against a former high school teammate in Michael Taaffe, he’s playing against a former college teammate in (Andrew) Mukuba, who transferred from Clemson.
“And Klubnik was the reason Clemson is in that game. It’s 21-7 at one point, it looks like it’s getting away from them, and he just kind of willed his team back into that game. And that’s what it takes to be in the game and have a chance on the road against a top-10 opponent. Your quarterback has got to play great, in particular when you’re not running the football, and Clemson could not run the football.”
Texas ran 48 times for a season-high 292 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 6.1 yards per carry, including a 77-yard touchdown run two plays after the Tigers cut the lead to 31-24. Meanwhile, Clemson rushed for just 76 yards on 24 carries (3.2 average).
“What they did in this game is that they just won the line of scrimmage, over and over and over again,” Klatt said of Texas. “Their defensive line, their offensive line just continued to win the line of scrimmage. It forced the game onto the shoulder of Klubnik, and even though he was great, it was just too much to overcome because the Clemson defense couldn’t stop the run at all. Jaydon Blue with the huge carry, 77-yard touchdown, bang, right after Clemson is able to make it a one-possession game in the fourth quarter.”
“If you can’t win the line of scrimmage, your quarterback has to be incredible,” Klatt added. “And then even when he’s incredible, you’ve got to get a stop, and Clemson could not get a stop.”
You can check out more of Klatt’s commentary on the Clemson-Texas game below: