CLEMSON — There were two truths that came out of last Saturday’s first round College Football Playoff Game between Clemson and Texas.
The Longhorns were the better team, and Cade Klubnik was the best player on the field.
“This kid just absolutely played his ass off tonight and this season,” Clemson offensive coordinator Garrett Riley said.
In a battle of two Austin, Texas, natives, Klubnik outshined Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers on one of the biggest of stages. Ewers, coming into the game, was considered the better quarterback of the two. The one-time Heisman Trophy candidate is beloved by the national media for his accurate passes and his strong arm.
And maybe it’s because Texas did not need Ewers’ arm to beat Clemson, but for me, getting the opportunity to watch the two quarterbacks play live, I just did not see anything Ewers do that made me say, “Wow! This guy is special.”
Klubnik on the other hand. All he did was “wow” over 101,000 people on almost every play.
“Just super proud of him and his resiliency, his ability to fight, his ability to have a short-term memory, which is a very special thing, playing his position, good or bad,” Riley said.
It’s not that Ewers day was bad. He completed 17 of 24 passes for 202 yards with 1 TD and 1 interception. However, he did not take any real chances. His throws were safe. The one time he did throw into harms way, it got intercepted.
Klubnik on the other hand was seeing the whole field. Texas first played zone, hoping to contain him, while allowing its vaunted pass rush to get to him.
However, he found the open man sitting in the zone almost every time, as he picked the Texas secondary apart. Remember, this is a pass defense that allowed just 4 TD passes all year and recorded 19 interceptions.
The Longhorns had not allowed more than 211 passing yards to anyone prior to last Saturday.
Klubnik threw for 336 yards and 3 TDs, nearly matching the number of touchdowns Texas had allowed in the first 13 games.
“When they call the traditional plays, he’s equipped enough to see your coverages and to throw it to the right people, and he’s got the talent to make those throws,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said.
Klubnik just did not burn Texas when it was in zone. When the Longhorns decided to blitz and went straight man-to-man, the Clemson quarterback lit them up with big play after big play.
The junior completed deep throws of 18, 28, 25, 18, 29, 30 and 27 yards. He also had a short throw to Antonio Williams that went for a 22-yard touchdown against the zone.
Klubnik’s last three completions were dimes, dropping the ball right in the breadbasket for 29 and 30 yards to wide receiver T.J. Moore, and then another to tight end Jake Briningstool for 27 yards. His best pass of the day did not count, a fade down the far sideline to Bryant Wesco at the Texas 2-yard line.
Unfortunately, for Clemson, Wesco’s foot came down on the line and the play was ruled as an incomplete pass. But it was an outstanding throw by Klubnik and an even better catch by Wesco to make the play as close as it was. Had Wesco got his foot down, it would have been a 24-yard gain to the Texas’ 2.
“We just put it in No. 2’s hands and he made plays,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said.
Klubnik nearly rallied Clemson from 21 points down to victory last Saturday. However, what he did was cement his name as a candidate to contend for the Heisman Trophy next year.
The Clemson quarterback was severely overlooked as a Heisman Candidate this past year. He quietly had one of the best seasons in the country without anyone noticing.
Klubnik finished the 2024 season with 3,639 passing yards and 36 TDs. He completed 63.4 percent of his 486 passes and had just six interceptions. He also ran for 463 yards and 7 TDs. His 43 total touchdowns rank second nationally.
Then to see what he did to the Longhorns’ defense, something no one has done all year to them, it’s obvious Klubnik is one of the best quarterbacks in the country, and last Saturday, there was no doubt he was the best player on the field at Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.