Klubnik Electrifies Death Valley

CLEMSON — Quarterback Cade Klubnik put on a masterclass in silencing doubts and smashing expectations Saturday.

The junior rained 378 passing yards and accounted for seven touchdowns (five passing, two rushing) in a 66-20 win over App State at Memorial Stadium.

“That felt good,” Klubnik said. “It was just a great feeling. It is fun to win when you go win a game like that.”

Klubnik connected with four different receivers to bring the Tigers past familiar pylons into both home end zones.

The Tigers’ 56 points in the opening two quarters marked the most in any half in modern Clemson football history. Simply put, Klubnik and the Tigers were on fire.

Additionally, the self-proclaimed “game manager” only missed two targets in the entirety of his outing, finishing his night by completing 24 of 26.

“It was just fun to kind of let that ball fly,” Klubnik said. “We got a lot of dudes that can go do it. We got the front that can go protect, so the biggest challenge is when we can air it out and still have a running back that can average ten yards a carry.”

Klubnik’s completion percentage (92.3) was the third highest in Tigers’ history, only bested by Cole Stout and Woodrow Dantzler. His seven touchdowns were the second most by any Clemson quarterback, only behind Tajh Boyd’s eight against NC State in 2012.

And it only took him two quarters.

Following a week of criticism after a crushing season-opening loss to top-ranked Georgia, Clemson’s offense left no room for critics to debate their dominance nor their competence a week later. Klubnik told the media last Wednesday that his mind was separated from the “noise” of the outside world. He was adamant that the Tigers have “everyone we need” for success.

Klubnik clearly had every target he needed to produce seven touchdowns, the most by any ACC quarterback since Lamar Jackson in 2016.

“That’s what he can do. I don’t expect him to have seven touchdowns in a half every week, but he can spin it. He can make all the throws,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said.

The Tigers left Death Valley Saturday night with a staggering win and a QB1 performance. Clemson will have two weeks to sit on the win as its prepares for their second home game of the season.