CLEMSON — Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney believed Cade Klubnik played his worst game of the year from a quarterback play standpoint.
The No. 16 Tigers (7-2, 6-1 ACC) defeated Virginia Tech 24-14 on Saturday to keep their CFP hopes alive, but Klubnik did not play well until the second half. He was sacked a season-high four times and finished 16-for-34 passing (47.1%), his lowest completion percentage of the season. According to Pro Football Focus, he was also 5-for-16 (31.3%) on 10-yard plus passes, his second-lowest output of the year.
“Just stuff that we needed him to do as a quarterback and decisions. He took four sacks, every sack was on him, and none of them should have happened,” Swinney said. “He just tried to do a little too much a couple times, just frustrating, (and) was a couple of plays there that we didn’t pull the trigger on.”
Klubnik received an intentional grounding penalty on the opening drive and forced a throw that resulted in his fourth interception of the season. He took sacks that could have been avoided if he released the ball quicker and threw passes where receivers couldn’t make plays on the ball.
Swinney was disappointed in Klubnik’s overall play, but he appreciated his quarterback’s self-awareness when he asked him about it postgame.
“I said, ‘How’d you think you played?’ because you win a game like that, and he did some unbelievable stuff,” Swinney said. “He’s like, ‘You know, I think it was my worst game,’ and I was like, ‘Man, that’s why I know you’re gonna be a great player’ because I didn’t have to tell him.”
Swinney also liked the intangibles Klubnik displayed Saturday. Swinney said Klunbik’s leadership, grit, toughness and will to win shined, especially when Clemson trailed 7-0 at halftime. Swinney added the Tigers haven’t handled adversity well this season, including in…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/dabo-swinney-calls-cade-klubnik-184718853.html
Author : Greenville News
Publish date : 2024-11-12 18:47:18
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