Clutch plays on Clemson's road trip tell a much larger story of the season |
Cade Klubnik stared down the barrel of Clemson’s season being shot down a disappointing path.
Pittsburgh was a defensive stand away from putting the Tigers in familiar yet painful territory. If the Clemson offense couldn’t get it done, it would mark the fourth straight season with at least three losses, wiping away a chance for the ACC crown or the CFP. The weight of the season’s goodwill rested on the shoulders of Clemson’s junior quarterback. It's a good thing he used his legs instead. Klubnik burst past the Panthers’ front seven and, with a T.J. Moore block, glided down the right sideline to put together the most memorable moment of his career.
Success on the road hasn’t been a path well traveled for Klubnik. At least, that used to be the case.
In 2023, travel away from home became a house of horrors for him as a sophomore. He posted a 2-3 record, with crushing losses to Miami and North Carolina State being the straw that broke the camel’s back on Clemson’s season.
One year later, success on the road has been a Tigers’ 2024 campaign theme. In true road games, Klubnik has led Clemson to a 4-0 record, capped off by a two-game road trip against more formidable opposition away from Death Valley.
Those two final matchups have come with the Tiger offense unable to find consistent footing, with one half or the other stalling out and putting games in dangerous territory. Once Clemson entered uncharted grounds, Klubnik began to do the same.
Against Virginia Tech, the Tigers were locked in a stalemate with the Hokies, looking to find separation and redemption following the loss to Louisville. And it appeared another drive was set to welcome Aidan Swanson onto the field, but Klubnik had different plans.
As he describes it, the initial call was a quarterback draw inside, and the Hokie defense converged on the play quickly.
Time to improvise.
Klubnik spun out of trouble, finding Moore on a miraculous play sparked by the junior signal caller doing something even he understands wasn’t likely possible from his game last season.
When it was in his hands to win games in the clutch last fall, Klubnik often failed to rise to the occasion.
On the road against Miami and NC State, a run-turned-failed option prevented Clemson from taking down the Hurricanes. The following week, Payton Wilson snatched an interception to steal victory from the Tigers, putting a 4-4 Clemson in unfamiliar territory.
One year later, a two-game road trip saw back-to-back victories because of the plays Klubnik can now make.
Following the win over Pittsburgh, Klubnik described a sense of peace as everyone turned to save the team from collapse. Granted, the miraculous play in Blacksburg wasn’t in “the clutch,” but it was a desperately needed moment and charged a second-half surge.
Against the Panthers, it was do or die.
Once the season is over, two plays may tell a larger story about the 2024 Tigers.
It might not lead to a College Football Playoff trip, as that is no longer in Clemson’s control. Still, those two plays are easy ways to show how much Klubnik has grown as a quarterback. The team knows it, too.
Now, ten wins are in play, and Clemson’s CFP hopes, while barely alive, still hold a pulse.
Largely because their quarterback put together what wasn’t possible a year prior.
Two plays don’t define a season, but they tell a large portion of the story of a team beginning to write its final chapters.
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