What We Learned From Clemson's Easy ACC Championship Victory
See, football isn't so difficult.
If you put good players in good positions and give them the ability to go perform, it can work out for you.
That's a way oversimplification, but that's also how it seemed Saturday night in the ACC Championship Game. The No. 7 Clemson Tigers looked like they were in for a struggle offensively after the first two drives.
And then they weren't after a change at quarterback. Freshman Cade Klubnik replaced DJ Uiagalelei and the Tigers took off scoring on the next four possessions en route to an easy 39-10 victory over North Carolina in Charlotte.
It looked like the kind of effort that just wasn't going to happen for Clemson. They hit big pass plays. They created big turnovers. They didn't turn the ball over. It was everything the fans have been clamoring for and the coaches have to defend why it wasn't happening for weeks.
Finally, it all came together for the Tigers, who improved to 11-2 and won their eighth ACC title under Swinney. But it was too little too late. Sure, you can play the "what if" game until you're dizzy, red and fighting mad.
Is it worth getting your blood boiling? It's hard to know if Clemson would've beaten South Carolina had Klubnik played in that game. He might not have had enough practice to succeed. But it's also easy to assume yes.
Regardless, instead of focusing on what could have been in terms of the postseason, this space is reserved for looking back at what was actually learned coming out of a big win for the Tigers:
Dabo finally did it
Some folks will say it took entirely too long, but regardless, the move was finally made at quarterback. Based on what Swinney said after the game about how Kubnik came to be in Saturday's game, here's a quick synopsis of what went down, with a few fill-in-the-blanks thoughts:
- Following Uiagalelei's 99-yard passing performance against the Gamecock in which the coaches blamed receivers and defenders, the staff was adamant that he would remain the starter for the UNC game.
- However, they informed Klubnik on the following day (Sunday) that he would be prepped to play.
- OC Brandon Streeter said the reps were about evenly split between Uiagalelei and Klubnik in practice.
- Uiagalalelei knew that he has to get off to a good start to remain in the game.
- Clemson ran five pass plays in the first six snaps. This wasn't a recipe for success. The coaches didn't use tempo or Uiagalelei in the run game, which has helped early when he's had productive games.
- After going 3-and-out both times, he was benched.
- He instantly looked ready to play. The calls were quick passes to get him comfortable. He hit passes of 16, 6, 5, 22 and 1 yards on the first drive. The last was a TD. He also ran for eight yards and got help in the ground game from Phil Mafah and Will Shipley.
- The rest is history. The Clemson offense took off and looked as comfortable and fast as it has all season. Klubnik threw for 279 yards and rushed for 30 while passing for one TD and running for another.
- There was clearly a game plan for Klubnik, not just a "we'll see what happens with a drive or two" mentality.
This doesn't mean that Uiagalelei didn't play a pivotal role in getting the Tigers to this point. His successes need to be acknowledged as much as his struggles. But this was the right move by Clemson. It just doesn't make sense why it took 13 weeks for Klubnik to finally be prepared, but then again, the coaches are the ones in practice every day.
That said, it's also important to note that UNC came into the game ranked 115th nationally in defensive success rate, and the Tar Heels are hideous against the pass, allowing the 11th most passing yards per game out of 131 FBS teams.
A glance at the future
Saturday's win was a window not into what could've been but more into what very well could be. The Tigers were led by Klubnik throwing to Cole Turner. Both are freshmen with bright futures. Sophomore Nate Wiggins was the Defensive Most Outstanding Player after he had a pick-6, a blocked field goal and two pass breakups in the end zone.
Both running backs in the game were sophomores. There are other key second-year players who didn't play, like guard Marcus Tate, who will be back. Will Putnam is coming back at center. Walker Parks and Blake Miller return up front as well. Antonio Williams has had a great freshman season. Sophomore Jake Briningstool will be a force at tight end next year. The win over UNC showed that Clemson has a lot of young playmakers who let Swinney know he'll have a chance to progress offensively and still have some good defensive players when a lot of veterans leave.
"There's been a lot of those guys that have done some good things on that offensive side for sure," Swinney said.
DC's progression
Clemson defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin has taken his lumps at times this season. There have been game plans that didn't quite work out or adjustments that didn't go his way, but Saturday night was not one of those instances. Clemson came out in an odd defensive front, put more defensive backs on the field and used a zone scheme to try and confuse UNC QB and ACC Player of the Year Drake Maye. At first, it didn't work. The Tar Heels went right down the field with quick throws and scored a touchdown on their opening possession.
It was the last time all night they found the end zone. Goodwin didn't overreact to it. He felt like the scheme would work based on what he saw from the Heels. He stayed patient, didn't make adjustments and believed bending but not breaking would outlast UNC. It worked. Clemson shored some things up in coverage, forced three turnovers and held the Tar Heels to one score in five red-zone opportunities. Goodwin has taken the brunt of criticism this year, and rightfully so at times, but he stuck to his guns Saturday and it was the right scheme to win the game. It was only the third time this season a defense has held UNC under 400 total yards. He's shown the ability to bounce back from a bad game and that's real progress for a young coordinator.
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