WATCH: Dabo Swinney, Cade Klubnik postgame press conference after ACC title win

by Tony Crumpton - Assoc. Editor - Sun Dec 04 01:38:02 GMT-04:00 2022

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and ACC title MVP Cade Klubnik talked to reporters in the postgame press conference following their team's impressive 39-10 victory over North Carolina:

DABO SWINNEY: Well, man, that was fun. It was a fun night. Really proud of our team and these seniors and for these guys to have an opportunity to roll out of here, we've got some guys six years that are leaving with five of these, and guys with four years leaving with three and guys with five leaving with four.

So this is a great night for us. I'm really proud of this team and I'm proud of the consistency of our program.

But tonight was special. I mean, it really was. It's hard to win. No matter what happened tonight, we had a good year, but anytime you can win 11 and you win your league, you had a great year.

This was a culmination of a great year and a lot of good things that happened tonight. First of all, we didn't turn it over, and we got takeaways. We were plus 3 in the margin. Defensively we got after the quarterback, had four sacks, and then probably the biggest thing is -- because they moved the ball, but we got stops in the red zone, something we have not been doing well.

So we got -- held them to field goal, held them to downs, got the pick six in the red zone, and we blocked the kick.

There were a lot of good things that happened in the red zone for us which was a huge difference, and then obviously offensively we really played well. Cade came in and we went into this game with him coming in the third series no matter what.

DJ did not play well the first two series and didn't know what he was going to do, and then he came in and really played well.

We rolled the rest of the way. So a lot of guys made some plays. It was good to get Cole Turner back in there tonight. We talked to him all year about, hey, listen, we're going to need you to win a championship. Didn't know it was going to quite be like that, but it was really awesome. He really don't even know what he's doing yet, but he's going to be a great player, and he really doesn't even know he's good.

Super excited about just our future and a lot of things that I saw tonight. But man, Trotter was awesome. He had three sacks. And again, the third week in a row we've scored on defense.

And then BT Potter, once again, I mean, I think he became the first ACC player ever to have four seasons with 100 plus points.

So all in all, all three phases did some good things and probably played our best game for sure since the Miami game.

Happy for our guys. We're excited to go back to the Orange Bowl. When we won this thing back in '11 we hadn't been to the Orange Bowl in 30 years, and now we're going back for the fourth time in 12 years. I'm really happy for our guys to be able to have an opportunity to experience that.

The guys get this week off. We've got a lot going on. We've got one more week of class and then we've got finals. All of us got to hit the road. We've got recruiting, we've got a lot of to do, and we'll start our prep sometime next weekend and get ready. We've got one goal left, and that's to win the closer.

Just super excited about what these guys were able to do tonight and to win our seventh one in eight years. And again, I didn't know this until tonight, but that hasn't been done since the '70s at Alabama. I know people think this is supposed to be easy to be done. It is not.

To win one, but to be consistent like we have been as a program and to get the start that we had this decade -- we had a great decade in the teens, but we're off to a better start in the '20s.

A bright future ahead, and you saw a lot of that tonight. We got one senior offensive lineman; got a lot of young talent back; and then you saw what Cade could do tonight. Man, he's worked his butt off all year to get ready.

Thought he might take it in the Notre Dame game; it didn't work out, but he's just kept grinding and kept preparing, and then tonight, man, he took it and didn't look back.

Again, I'm proud of DJ and the leader he is and just the man of character that he is, and the reality is we would not have won the Atlantic and been here tonight without him and wouldn't have won the ACC Championship without Klubnik.

It was a great team win and great to be a part of, and, again, look forward to putting a good plan together and going down and competing in the Orange Bowl.

Q. Dabo, you said you had made a decision before the game to go with Cade on the third series. First of all, why had you made that decision to do that? And will he start in the Orange Bowl?

DABO SWINNEY: Yeah, yeah, we made the decision Sunday. I called Cade last Sunday and kind of told him what we were going to do. It's kind of one of those things that it could have happened earlier, and guys got to earn it.

I've got a quarterback coach that's coached some great ones, and he's coached the best of the best. Cade will be the first one to tell you, he really wasn't ready early, but he kept getting ready and he kept doing what he needed to do.

Again, I thought the Notre Dame game maybe it would happen. We struggled there. Again, DJ led us to the longest winning streak in the country, and after the Syracuse game we're like, okay, and then obviously he goes in, throws a pick, and then we put DJ back in and he really played well.

Really played well down to finish that game, and then he played two of his best games against Louisville and against Miami. Going into those games, knowing that a change was there if he didn't play well.

Then obviously this past week he gets all the blame and stuff, but he wasn't the reason we lost that game. Everybody just said, oh, he was this or this, but we had five drops. We had fumbles. We gave up 360 yards passing. He took his share of it.

But certainly he didn't do some things well, either, so we went into this game and he knew it, too, that here's where we are. And you saw the first two series. He missed some easy plays.

We already knew he was going in, and then Cade went in and played well, and it happened. That's how it goes.

But again, we don't win the Atlantic without DJ, and there's no doubt about that. Appreciate who he is. He's one of the most respected young men that's come through this program. His teammates love him. You know, things have to happen the way they're supposed to happen, and tonight that's the way it went.

Cade was ready, and you got a chance to see what he can do. He played in rhythm. Guys made plays for him, and you see he's really, really fast. He can really make plays with his legs. I think he might have been -- we didn't really rush the ball very much, but I think he might have been the leading rusher on top of that.

It was a great night, and again, a glimpse of our future and what it looks like at Clemson. I'm really happy for him, and yeah, definitely has earned his opportunity to go start.

We've got a few weeks here to get ready to play for whoever we play in the Orange Bowl, and excited to see him continue to build on it, and again, have a great finish and build some momentum going into next year.

Q. How about the game Nate had? Really coming full circle since the terrible game he had at Wake Forest, and tonight he has the two PBUs in the end zone, the blocked field goal, and ACC record 90-yard pick six.

DABO SWINNEY: Wow, I didn't know that was a record. That's awesome. He's been close. He's missed on about three of those pick sixes during the year where he's really been there, but he's a great player, and he's just really matured. He's gotten more focused. He's gotten more detailed as the year has gone on.

I'm really proud of him. He's a very, very talented young man. He's a guy that early on just a little rough around the edges, a little immature when it comes to really doing what you need to do programatically, and man, he's just come full circle. He really has.

The players love him. He's a great teammate. He really loves to play. He loves football, and I love that about him. It's important to him. But I love how he's grown from a detail standpoint. He's had a bunch of pass breakups, but tonight was awesome.

Again, we got pressure on Drake and were able to make him hold the ball longer than he wanted to a few times and make him get rid of it a little earlier than he wanted to a couple times, and that was just a great play right there and an unbelievable return.

He can really run, so that was obviously a huge play, and just really happy for him. Again, just a sophomore; got a lot of good football in front of him.

Q. How rewarding is it for this group of seniors and fifth-year seniors to end their careers with winning an ACC Championship and going to an Orange Bowl, and how exciting is it for you as a coach and a father to see your son, Drew, score on that two-point conversion?

DABO SWINNEY: Yeah, it was great. We knew we had that. That put us up -- instead of three touchdowns, it was three touchdowns and a two-point, so it was a good play. He had a couple nice plays. Drew is a guy we've got a lot of confidence in. He's steady. He's consistent. He knows what to do. He's tough. He catches it.

Every opportunity he's had this year he's taken advantage of it. He's one of the most respected guys on this team, too. He's a great leader and unbelievably committed.

I'm really happy for him and proud of him for the game he had and for these seniors, yeah. I mean, this is what you do it for, to have an opportunity to win a championship. It's a goal in our program, and everybody -- the class of '21 hadn't won one yet and then obviously our freshman that just got here this year, the class of '22, so every signing class we've had since February of '09 has won a championship or multiple, and that's a huge part of what we want for our guys to experience.

Again, Luke Price rolling out of here with five out of six years; KJ and those guys leaving with four out of five; TD leaving here with three out of four. That's something they'll never forget. I don't know that they really can kind of grasp that right now, but 20 years from now that's probably one of those things where, yeah, man, they make it look easy, but it's not. It's not easy.

Q. Coach, after that opening score by North Carolina, seemed like the defense just settled in and just played a heck of a ballgame for the next three and a half quarters. What does that tell you about Coach GoodWin and his preparation and how he kept the guys focused throughout the ballgame, even getting down 7-0 early on?

DABO SWINNEY: Yeah, we've made a lot of strides defensively this year, and obviously we had some guys in and out. Didn't have Mickens the first half and we've had some guys beat up. Mukuba has been beat up all year. I'm proud of him. It was a huge challenge, and they stepped up.

That No. 11, I mean, he's a great player, and they get him the ball every which way you can think of.

But Maye is special, so to be able to just -- we knew we were not just going to stop him, so we had to try to turn him over. We had to try to affect him, not let him have a lot of run game, him included because he's their leading rusher, but then really win in the red zone, and we were able to do that.

I'm proud of those guys, Wes and Mick. They've grown a lot this year, and it's been fun to watch them really settle into their role.

We've got a lot of guys back on defense next year, too, so I think we've got a bright future over there.

Q. Cade, I wonder what your single favorite moment of tonight was.

DABO SWINNEY: You wanted the throw back. You were begging for that all week.

CADE KLUBNIK: Yeah, I told him on the way I wanted the throw back with Phil and I was like, let's do it early. That was pretty fun. I wish we would have scored on it, but that was definitely pretty fun.

But I really loved to see Cole Turner kind of show out tonight. That was really awesome. Dude is just kind of a silent worker. He is more of a quiet guy but also just a great dude, but he can fly. Like he can run, and he catches the ball.

Like Coach Swinney was saying, he's still new to receiver. He's only played one year of football, this being his second year of football, right --

DABO SWINNEY: One year as a receiver.

CADE KLUBNIK: So he's just an athlete. He went and showed what he can do tonight, and I'm excited to see what he can do.

I think my favorite moment was probably scoring the first touchdown, and I actually just kind of saw my family up in the stands. I didn't know where -- I just found them, and that was a pretty cool moment for me.

Q. Coach, given how spectacular Cade was, I wonder if you regret not using him in the South Carolina game at all.

DABO SWINNEY: I've got a lot of regrets from the South Carolina game, but not really. Again, DJ is not why we lost. But hindsight is always 20/20. There's a lot of things I wish we could have done over like 4th and 1 and not fumbled the ball.

There's a lot of things I wish we had a chance to do over, but you don't get a chance to do that. It's all about what's next for us.

Q. Cade, after the first touchdown drive, the ABC broadcast said that you said to the guys on the sideline, we're just getting started. Could you expand on that and what you said to them after that?

CADE KLUBNIK: Yeah, I think I just went and talked to the offensive linemen and the receivers like, man, this is just the start. Like let's keep on rolling. We had a great first drive, and I was just -- I really just tried to encourage them, like don't be satisfied with this, don't be satisfied with one good drive. Let's go get five or six more.

That was my kind of encouragement to them was just, we're just getting started.

Q. Saw KJ put his arms on you on the TV set there after the game. How much has it meant to you to have the love and support of those upperclassmen, those veterans on the team, you know, even though this has been DJ's team up until now? It was obviously an unusual situation with DJ being the starter all season long and then you coming in.

CADE KLUBNIK: Yeah, I'm going to miss our seniors. I really am. Just getting here in January, the impact that they've all had on me, from J-Mac to Davis and Luke. Luke Price, but definitely KJ for sure. He's in our little locker section, and he's been awesome. And JP. I'm definitely going to miss those dudes. They've meant a lot to me, and just super thankful for all of them.

Q. Cade, I wanted to know, knowing that you knew that you were going to come into this game on Sunday, I believe Coach Swinney said, what was your mindset leading up to this game? And looking back in hindsight leading up, how happy are you with the way it turned out?

CADE KLUBNIK: Yeah, with the preparation from kind of that standpoint, Coach Swinney and Coach Streeter told me all year long, prepare every week like you're going to play, and that's been my mindset. I've learned so much this year. I'm just super thankful for me just kind of getting to sit back and watch.

I feel like I've learned so much, so much about quarterback and offense and the defenses and protections. It's been awesome. I think that this week I've really been able to just dial in on North Carolina and just -- I think we had our best week of practice all year. I really do. I think that that kind of showed out tonight, offense and defense.

But from a preparation standpoint, I think just kind of prepared like every other week, and that's just how it went.

Q. Cade, could you kind of go through that first drive, and especially those first couple of passes and how that kind of maybe grew some confidence or made you more comfortable? Could you go through that?

CADE KLUBNIK: Yeah, I mean, I've actually said this a couple times already, but I think this was Coach Streeter's best game, without a doubt his best game. I absolutely loved it.

He's been doing a great job all year of play calling. I mean, I can't imagine that being your first time -- I know he did it at Richmond, but your first time at Clemson play calling. He's been in the program for a long time, but just super thankful for him, just the way that he's been able to prepare us and all the quarterbacks.

I'm super, super thankful for him, the man that he is and the guy -- the way the guys just kind of draw towards him. He talked about yesterday and today, the word for today was just love, and just loving on these guys and loving for each other, and I think that really showed out in this game.

I think there was more love throughout this game than there has been all year, and when it comes to kind of the drive itself, I think we just kind of did what we do in practice all week, and that's all up to the coaching staff, and they had a great plan this week.

It just felt like practice out there. It really did.

Q. Cade, Coach had mentioned something earlier about he thought you may have kind of took the reins a little bit earlier but you had a couple opportunities that you may not have taken full advantage of. When you came off the sideline today you looked determined. It looked liked you had extra pep in your step. Did you feel like this was your time and that it was essentially a position you weren't ready to give back maybe as you might have done in the past?

CADE KLUBNIK: Yeah, I think I had a little bit of a different mindset today. I'm not exactly sure what it was, but I was pretty pumped. I just came ready to play free and just trust in God's time with everything.

I think that's been what I've learned most over the past six months really, is just trusting God's time with it and just having peace in that and having joy in that, knowing that I didn't know how the game was going to go. I really didn't. But I knew just that God was in control of the whole thing from the very start, from the first snap to now, and it's been awesome just to see what he's been doing. Just to be able to honor him through that has been awesome.

Q. You didn't rush either Deshaun Watson or Trevor Lawrence into being starters. You picked their time and you didn't know how it was going to turn out, but obviously it turned out well. Do you sense this is a turning point maybe in your program knowing what you know about Cade and his abilities and what he might do moving forward?

DABO SWINNEY: Well, I mean, one game doesn't make a career. He's got a long way to go and a lot of consistency ahead to kind of be there. But we recruited him with certainly high expectations, and he's coming in here, he's never lost a game as a starter, and he won three state championships in high school.

Now he's coming here as a freshman and got MVP of his first championship game. So he's a special talent, and we knew that. We also knew he needed to develop some, and he's really put the work in. He's worked on his body. He's not quite 200, but he's right there, and he's really grasped things from just an offensive standpoint.

But I think he's got -- he certainly has all the capability and all the tools to really be a great one. That's what we felt like him coming into this program.

Sometimes you can put a guy out there too early, but you also have to have -- it's got to be a situation where a guy earns it. It happens when it happens.

Tonight it kind of turned and he took it and ran with it. Again, he's got to keep it going. As soon as he has a bad game and we get the next guy in there, we'll probably want that backup to come on in. He's got a ways to go, but it's a great start for him for sure. A huge confidence boost.

I love our young guys that we got. Beaux had a great year, and man, obviously he's missed some games, too, with injuries, but Beaux and Antonio and Adam and Cole, I think we've got a really great nucleus of guys that we can build around there.

Obviously we've got great backs and really good tight end there and young tight ends in Brynny, in Sage, and only one good senior lineman in J-Mac.

I think collectively as a group, they saw tonight what they're capable of doing as they move forward in the future. Again, hopefully we can build on it.

Q. I'm wondering how DJ took the news when you told him that Cade would be coming in for the third series. And also, with Cade starting in the Orange Bowl, what does DJ's future look like here at Clemson?

DABO SWINNEY: Yeah, DJ, he's a special person. He handles everything the right way. He handles everything with class. He understood and knew -- Streeter and I talked to both of them, as well.

We hoped that he'd play well, but he didn't have a great series, especially the first series there. But we stuck with the plan, and then the rest is history. You've got to give credit to Cade for that. He kind of came in and took it, and it happened.

Moving forward, Cade will be the starter going in and DJ will be the backup. We'll keep moving forward, and I'm sure there will be plenty of conversations -- he graduates in a week or so, so he's got a bright future. He's got a bright future. Obviously it didn't end tonight the way he would like, but he's got a bright, bright future as a football player.

He's a guy that always have a special place in my heart because nobody has ever worked harder, nobody has ever been more respected in this program. These guys love DJ, and I do, too.

Q. Trotter put together three unbelievable games in a row now. Does it remind you a little bit of the way Kevin Dodd came on it at the end of I think it was 2016, or is there another player who has really taken it to another level at the end of the season like he has?

DABO SWINNEY: Yeah, I wouldn't say Kevin Dodd because Trotter just came in way ahead of a Kevin Dodd. Kevin, his fifth year he was special, but he didn't really have a great football foundation when he showed up; whereas Trotter, his football instincts, his football savvy, his football IQ, through the roof from the moment he got here.

Obviously last year with Skalski and Baylon Spector, you had two high veteran dudes that he had a chance to really learn from. But you're right, he's really settled in down the stretch here and has played some elite football, and his -- honestly, the biggest part is he's started to emerge as a little bit of a vocal leader.

He was one of those guys that you just kind of saw, you didn't really hear, but he's really taken some ownership and he's come out of his shell a little bit as far as being that quarterback that we need him to be.

And then obviously Barrett Carter, that's been a nice transition for us. You saw we used Trenton is a little bit different way tonight, bringing him off the edge some, and also playing him out in space. He did a great job spying the quarterback a little bit, ran him down.

But Trotter, he's awesome. That whole group, that's the group I kind of challenged because they hadn't really won anything yet, Trotter, Barrett Carter, Nate, kind of that group of guys, so it was good to see them be able to be a champion tonight.

But he's a great one.

Q. Going back to the youth, obviously all these freshmen and sophomores that made a bunch of big plays. What does it say about them not just making those plays but doing it in an ACC Championship in an NFL stadium?

DABO SWINNEY: It means our future is bright for sure. We've got a bright future. Antonio has had a great year. I know he had a tough game last week, but he's had a really special year.

These young backs have had great sophomore seasons, Shipley and Mafah, Brynny has had a really good sophomore season, kind of paired up there with a veteran like Davis Allen. I'm excited, Marcus Tate as a sophomore had a great year for us. Obviously he got hurt and is out, but he had a great year, really took a big step forward. Putnam, moving to center and coming back next year. Walker Parks and then freshman Blake Miller starting at right tackle for us all year long.

Again, there's been a lot of those guys that have done some good things on that offensive side for sure.

Q. Had you noticed a big jump in consistency in practice from Klubnik this past month since the Notre Dame game?

DABO SWINNEY: Yeah, I think so. Street felt good about it. He's practiced well. I thought he had a great week this week. He got a little bit more work with the ones this week.

But he's taken advantage of his opportunity again tonight. He was ready, and it was good to see guys -- right out of the gate we put a little RPO -- we kind of loaded him up with some RPO stuff that's very natural for him, and he did a great job with his decision making as far as his give, his pull, his throw.

The first one was just an RPO throw that he threw out there to Antonio and got a little rhythm going, and you saw what he could do with his legs. And a beautiful throw to Cole and then great catch, great play by him, as well.