Clemson delivers dominant Appalachian State win behind Klubnik’s breakout

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program bounced back in a big way in Week 2 with a dominant 66-20 win over Appalachian State.

The win was headlined by a ridiculous first-half performance from starting quarterback Cade Klubnik, who scored seven total touchdowns in the game. Throwing five through the air and two on the ground, Klubnik’s performance was one of the best in Clemson’s history and could have been even bigger if he had played more than a half.

Klubnik’s five passing touchdowns started with a 76-yard strike down the middle in the first quarter to freshman wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr., who looked like a star. Wesco ended the game with three catches for 130 yards and a touchdown. Another freshman wide receiver, T.J. Moore, scored the first touchdown of his career as well , on a 33-yard pass.

Veteran wide receiver Antonio Williams added a 29-yard score, but he wasn’t the veteran who shined the most out of the pass catchers. Tight end Jake Briningstool recorded seven catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Klubnik completed 24-26 passes for 378 yards along with the seven scores Star running back Phil Mafah added 118 yards and a score on just ten carries.
Clemson’s second string and beyond got the work from there, with redshirt freshman Christopher Vizzina getting some quality reps.

This is exactly the performance Clemson’s offense needed. It looked like the Tigers were sinking, and while this doesn’t guarantee anything, it does show what this offense is capable of.

It was a massive win for the Tigers.