Streeter On Klubnik's First Start: 'That Kid's a Warrior'
Cade Klubnik's first career start was a mixed bag of results.
The true freshman, and the number one quarterback in the 2022 recruiting class, did throw for 320 yards and rushed for another 51 in the 31-14 loss to Tennessee in the Orange Bowl on Friday night, but it was a start that also saw the young quarterback make a number of mental errors.
Despite the up-and-down play in the loss, offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter was pleased with the competitiveness he saw from Klubnik.
"That kid's a warrior," Streeter said. "First off, you know, I feel like he competed his tail off the whole night. Continued to battle. He got hit a lot that, I know that, so really proud of him for a lot of things."
The Tigers really made an effort to attack a vulnerable Tennessee pass defense early on, with Klubnik throwing more than 30 passes in the first half alone. In hindsight, Streeter said that while his quarterback was fully prepared to air it out, he could have leaned more heavily on running back Will Shipley, who had just three carries in the first two quarters.
"We have a ton of confidence in Cade, and he has prepared very, very well," Streeter said. "Probably threw the ball too many times, but we continued to make plays or get some pass interference situations and were moving that ball down the field and getting some chunks. So we were having some success and I think our guys were feeling it. And then just didn't finish a lot of those drives. But in hindsight, yes, we probably should have ran the ball a little bit more in the first half and given him a little bit of a breather and more situations where he could settle in."
Of the multiple mental mistakes the freshman made, none was more glaring than the final play of the first half. With no timeouts and the Tigers at the Volunteers' 13-yard line with time running out, Klubnik scrambled out of the pocket, racing for the end zone. The freshman was stopped well short, and time expired, costing Clemson a shot at a short field goal attempt that could have cut the lead to 17-6.
However, Streeter fully expects his young quarterback to learn and grow from some of the mistakes and is confident the adversity Klubnik faced in the loss will only make him better.
"I think he learned a lot of things tonight too," Streeter said. "Obviously, before the half, trying to scramble in that situation was not a smart decision at all. But he's gonna grow from that stuff. And that's who he is. I mean, he's a guy that is going to always find ways to get better and learn from mistakes.
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