Dabo Swinney getting torched for keeping Cade Klubnik shelved for so long
Dabo #Dabo
College football fans let Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney hear it after finally playing freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik in the ACC Championship Game.
The Clemson Tigers were in College Football Playoff contention for the majority of the season, up until they lost 35-14 to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Nov. 5, and 31-30 to the South Carolina Gamecocks last weekend. With the Playoff out of the question, the Tigers had the chance to win the ACC Championship.
Facing off against the North Carolina Tar Heels, Clemson found themselves trailing 7-0 after their first two drives, which both ended on three-and-outs. After watching D.J. Uiagalelei complete two-of-five passes for 10 yards, head coach Dabo Swinney benched him in favor of freshman Cade Klubnik. That move paid immediate dividends, as Klubnik led Clemson to a 24-10 lead into halftime.
This decision by Swinney had some asking — what took him so long?
The one point that was brought up is what could have happened if Swinney had decided to make the switch earlier this season. This, possibly, could’ve helped Clemson stay in Playoff contention.
Klubnik was extremely effective upon entering the game. He led the Tigers to a touchdown on each of his first three drives of the game. Klubnik threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Davis Allen on his first drive, set up a four-yard touchdown run by Phil Mafah on his second, and ran for a one-yard touchdown on his third.
In the first half, Klubnik completed all but one of his 11 pass attempts for 149 yards and one touchdown, while running for 32 yards on four carries.
At halftime, Swinney revealed that Klubnik will remain in the remainder of the game. Clemson fans would certainly hope he would considering how well he played.
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