Dabo Swinney getting torched for keeping Cade Klubnik shelved for so long
By Scott Rogust
College football fans let Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney hear it after finally playing freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik in the ACC Championship Game.
The Clemson Tigers were in College Football Playoff contention for the majority of the season, up until they lost 35-14 to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Nov. 5, and 31-30 to the South Carolina Gamecocks last weekend. With the Playoff out of the question, the Tigers had the chance to win the ACC Championship.
Facing off against the North Carolina Tar Heels, Clemson found themselves trailing 7-0 after their first two drives, which both ended on three-and-outs. After watching D.J. Uiagalelei complete two-of-five passes for 10 yards, head coach Dabo Swinney benched him in favor of freshman Cade Klubnik. That move paid immediate dividends, as Klubnik led Clemson to a 24-10 lead into halftime.
This decision by Swinney had some asking — what took him so long?
CFB Twitter questions Dabo Swinney didn’t go to Cade Klubnik earlier this year
After all the Dabo lectures to the media/public about the Uiagalelei-Klubnik situation, it’s only fair that he use tonight’s presser to explain why he frittered away a CFP berth by not making the Klubnik change two months ago… as the media/public repeatedly suggested
— Thor Nystrom (@thorku) December 4, 2022
My former cohost @ESPNBooger, on Cade Klubnik:
— Marc Ryan (@MarcRyanOnAir) December 4, 2022
“Man what took Dabo so long to put him in the game?”
Had Dabo just swallowed his pride and started Klubnik the second half of the season Clemson would probably be in the playoff
— Kevin (@Daboys_22) December 4, 2022
pic.twitter.com/Vbf7cCQ0OH
Dabo and them sabotaged their own season by opting to keep Klubnik on the bench and keep DJ at QB. Now, Cade is out here shining.
— Joe L. Hughes II (@JoeLHughesII) December 4, 2022
Cold, dirty shame.
Appreciate Dabo wanting to give DJ Uiagalelei as many opps as possible to realize his projected potential...
— Bonnie Bernstein (@BonnieBernstein) December 4, 2022
But you can't help but wonder if #Clemson would be jockeying for a Playoff spot tonite if Clemson had tabbed Cade Klubnik sooner. #ACCChampionship
Gotta hand it to Dabo, his plan to lull the whole country into believing he’d never hand the offense over to Klubnik, choosing instead to endure losses and frustration and constant second guessing, only to unleash his true intentions in the ACC championship game was diabolical.
— 💫🅰️♈️🆔 (@ADavidHaleJoint) December 4, 2022
Cade Klubnik is a damn good player. Dabo is a buffoon for waiting this long to put him in
— Cameron Brown (@golfer4life97) December 4, 2022
If Dabo had gone to Cade Klubnik seven days ago, Clemson would be in the playoff.
— Matt Castello (@mcastello32) December 4, 2022
The one point that was brought up is what could have happened if Swinney had decided to make the switch earlier this season. This, possibly, could’ve helped Clemson stay in Playoff contention.
Klubnik was extremely effective upon entering the game. He led the Tigers to a touchdown on each of his first three drives of the game. Klubnik threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Davis Allen on his first drive, set up a four-yard touchdown run by Phil Mafah on his second, and ran for a one-yard touchdown on his third.
In the first half, Klubnik completed all but one of his 11 pass attempts for 149 yards and one touchdown, while running for 32 yards on four carries.
At halftime, Swinney revealed that Klubnik will remain in the remainder of the game. Clemson fans would certainly hope he would considering how well he played.
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