A former ACC and SEC head coach gave his takeaways from Cade Klubnik’s performance after the true freshman quarterback’s first career start in Clemson’s 31-14 loss at the ‘Orange Bowl against Tennessee on Friday night.
During ACC network VAC Huddle show, former Miami and Georgia head coach and current ACCN analyst Mark Richt spoke about what he saw from Klubnik against the Vols.
After his MVP performance in the ACC Championship Game against North Carolina on Dec. 21. 3, when he completed 20 of 24 passes for 279 yards and scored two total touchdowns, Klubnik had 30 of 54 passes for 320 yards with two interceptions in the Orange Bowl.
“I think the bottom line is that Clemson has this young quarterback, and everyone saw what he did in the championship game and everyone was excited about this new piece of the puzzle, and they were looking forward to putting it on him because you felt he could handle it,” Richt said. “Because he’s a mature kid, he’s prepared as well as you can prepare. But he’s still a rookie, and it showed (Friday night). I think he’ll learn from that. , I think the team will also learn from it.
Richt was asked what his message to Klubnik would be after the tough loss in his first game as a Tigers starter.
“It’s just a game,” Richt said. The reality is, what Coach Swinney said – it won’t define his entire career. It will be something to learn.
“I liked how he continued to compete even after the game was over. Down 17 points, he’s still standing in the pocket, throwing strikes, getting hit in the mouth. Really impressed with the kid.
Richt pointed out that Friday’s loss marked the first of Klubnik’s career as a starter, as the former five-star prospect went a perfect 34-0 as a starter at Westlake (Texas) High School. But Richt also noted that “it’s a whole different world” in high-profile college football like the Orange Bowl on Friday night.
He is 34-1 as a starter. He just won 34 games in a row, doing the things you just described – running around making plays, throwing balls down the field, making touchdowns, passing and running,” Richt said. “He was a different breed of athlete than Westlake High School over there in Texas. It’s great football, but it’s a whole different world. Against the North Carolina defense, you got yourself ran off with some things you couldn’t do tonight.”
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