The Clemson Tigers are significant underdogs in Saturday afternoon’s playoff game against the Texas Longhorns, and their stars will need to step up if they are to pull off the upset. Fortunately for the Tigers, the player in the most essential position has made a huge leap this season. However, is it enough of a leap to propel them into the playoffs?
In their College Football Playoff preview, Pro Football Focus’ Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman named Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik the team’s most essential player. They speculated that he would need to be’superman’ to pull off the victory.
This season began with the junior quarterback setting a new low. Following the opening-week loss to the Georgia Bulldogs, many questioned his reliability as a starter. He responded to the naysayers by having the best season of his career.
Klubnik has been one of college football’s top passers this season. He’s completed 63.7% of his passes for 33 touchdowns and just five interceptions. It is apparent that the offense’s trust has risen, and they can now make explosive plays again.
Even more astounding is the fact that he has accomplished this with only one genuinely elite weapon on the outside. Antonio Williams, a wide receiver, with 71 catches for 838 yards and 10 touchdowns, developing into the star he exhibited as a rookie.
Overall, the Tigers’ passing attack is 17th in the country, averaging 274.1 yards per game. The Longhorns’ secondary is simply their strongest point on defense. They allow the fewest passing yards per game in the country, with only 143.1 handed up. Their pass rush is likewise exceptional, making the quarterback’s job difficult in many aspects.
However, one might argue that Klubnik is superior to any quarterback Texas has faced this season. Carson Beck is the only player who comes close, and the margin after that is large. The next is possibly Diego Pavia of the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Beck struggled more against the Longhorns than against most of the other teams on the schedule. In their first full game, he completed 56.1% of his passes for 175 yards and three interceptions.
Klubnik does, however, bring an extra degree of talent to his legs. He’s rushed 106 times for 458 yards and seven touchdowns. If he can go on a few runs like Pavia did in key situations, this could be a different game than many people predict. If the star quarterback is to lead his side to an upset victory this weekend, he will need to be on top of his game in all aspects.
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