The Clemson Tigers are getting ready for the ACC Championship against the SMU Mustangs, and they will be needing a big performance from their quarterback.
It was a wild weekend for the Tigers as, despite losing a close game to the South Carolina Gamecocks, Clemson found themselves making the ACC Championship Game thanks to a loss by the Miami Hurricanes.
Making the ACC Championship has now given the Tigers the ability to control their own destiny in terms of making the College Football Playoff. If Clemson is able to beat the Mustangs, they will clinch a spot in the playoffs.
One of the reasons for the success of the Tigers this season has been the play of their junior quarterback, Cade Klubnik.
Recently, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report released his quarterback rankings. After being ranked as the 7th best quarterback in the country, he dropped one spot this week to 8th after a mediocre game in Week 14.
“Klubnik did not have his best game in Saturday’s loss to South Carolina, throwing for 280 yards with zero touchdowns and one interception, though he did log 62 rushing yards and two scores on the ground. His 3,478 total yards are the eighth-highest single-season total offense mark in Clemson history, and the most since Trevor Lawrence in 2019.”
While the junior didn’t have a bad game against the Gamecocks, he also didn’t light it up for the Tigers. Seeing him drop one spot, but remaining in the Top-10 of the rankings was certainly fair, as Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Kutis Rouke had a ridiculous game against the Purdue Boilermakers to move up in the rankings from 9th to 4th.
With the big showdown coming against the Mustangs, the Tigers are going to need a big-time performance from their quarterback both in the air and on the ground. Due to the struggles of their running game in recent weeks, Klubnik has been arguably the best runner on the team lately.
That will hopefully change soon, as it’s not sustainable for long-term success for the team if they have hopes of winning the CFP.
With the season coming to a close soon, the quarterback play this year has been really strong. Considering when he started the campaign, there were a lot of concerns about his ability to be the starting quarterback, especially after the loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. However, Klubnik has proven to be one of the best quarterbacks in the country.
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