The Clemson Tigers, undefeated at 7-0 heading into their matchup against the Syracuse Orange, are experiencing their first bit of adversity so far this season. After throwing two interceptions to Syracuse defenders, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney decided to make a major move, benching junior quarterback DJ Uiagalelei.
Uiagalelei had completed 13-of-21 passes for 138 yards, plus the two turnovers. More importantly, his team has struggled to move the chains in a big matchup with potential College Football Playoff implications.
With Clemson trailing 21-10 to Syracuse, Swinney opted to give true freshman Cade Klubnik a chance under center, seeing if a new QB could create a spark against the sixth-rated scoring defense in the nation.
Klubnik, the nation’s No. 1 recruit, not only among quarterbacks but among all prospects in his class, will finally get a chance to show the world what he can do at the college level. Klubnik won three state championships during his high school days playing for Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, but now gets to try his hand at a much bigger stage, with millions watching instead of thousands.
Albeit in limited action prior to this game, Klubnik has completed just 7-of-15 passes for 66 passing yards and a touchdown so far in his young collegiate career. Klubnik has appeared in a total of four of the Tigers’ seven games played thus far.
Who knows just how short Uiagalelei’s leash will be heading into their next matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, but whoever’s under center will have an extra week to prepare, with Clemson on a bye in Week 9, before beginning their next showdown on Nov. 5. Perhaps if Klubnik experiences immediate success, we see the young QB under center to start in Week 10 as well.
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