Sapakoff: Duke is the first Klubnik, Riley step in Florida State prep for Clemson

DURHAM, N.C. — The first order of business for Clemson’s shiny new quarterback-offensive coordinator duo of Cade Klubnik and Garrett Riley: Use the season opener at Duke as launch-pad prep for the Tigers’ first major ACC showdown of the decade, Florida State on Sept. 23 at Death Valley.

With the next major ACC showdown likely not far behind. Same teams in the ACC Championship Game on Dec. 2 in Charlotte.

So far, so alarming.

Duke students in the crowd of 31,638 stopped chanting “Over-rated!” early in the fourth quarter Monday night and started preparing to charge the field.

No. 9 Clemson with a stunning 28-7 ACC loss at Wallace Wade Stadium on Monday night doesn’t deserve a spot in the next top 25 poll after implosions, misfires and then more mistakes.

“It’s almost indescribable what I just saw,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said after giving credit to Duke for finishing plays on a nightmare night when his team failed to do so. “You have so many opportunities and get nothing.”

All just one night after Florida State’s 45-24 clobbering of LSU on Sunday night in Orlando, deserving of a No. 1 ranking and Bobby Bowden Era-level hype.

Sure, it’s early. Colorado isn’t a playoff lock, not even with Heisman Trophy front-runners Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders.

That gives Klubnik plenty of time to spread the ball around to Antonio Williams, Beaux Collins, Jake Briningstool, Adam Randall, Cole Turner, Brannon Spector and Tyler Brown and others while Will Shipley and Phil Mafah keep giving Clemson an elite 1-2 punch in a backfield that should benefit immensely from Riley’s run-friendly Air Raid approach.

Clemson rushed for 213 yards against Duke. 

But Klubnik in his first start was shaky in a 31-14 Orange Bowl loss to Tennessee and not very sharp at Duke: 27 of 43 for 209 yards with one touchdown, and 34 yards rushing on 12 carries.

“Cade’s my guy,” Clemson junior linebacker Jeremiah Trotter said. “I know he’s going to bounce back.”

Swinney agreed, and said he liked Riley’s poise on the sideline and positivity after the game.

Of course, it’s a team effort when Clemson, down 13-7, does this on its first three possessions of the second half:

1st and goal at the 1. Blocked field goal try.

1st and goal at the 7. Klubnik lost fumble.

1st and goal at the 1. Phil Mafah lost fumble.

The last time Clemson lost a season opener to an unranked foe was 1999, 13-10 to Marshall at Death Valley in Tommy Bowden’s first game as Tigers head coach.

But Swinney remains his usual upbeat self, stressing that he loves this team and “everything is correctable.”

“When life knocks you down, you get back up,” said one of the great coaches in recent college football history. “You don’t let (adversity) define you, you let it help you.”

About that ACC Kickoff poll

Consistency was the problem at the quarterback and offensive coordinator spots the last two seasons, even as D.J. Uiagalelei and Brandon Streeter made progress in 2022 after an injury-marred 2021.

The Tigers finished 30th nationally in points per game last year (33.2) and 48th in total offense (410.3), up from 82nd (26.3) and 100th (360.8). Just not up enough.

What a great start at Oregon State, five total touchdowns in a 43-27 rout of San Jose State for Uiagalelei, exceptionally well-liked at Clemson.

But taking steps back at Notre Dame and against South Carolina last season are why Clemson didn’t make the playoff for the seventh time in eight years and why Uiagalelei is in Corvallis and Streeter is on Kirby Smart’s analyst staff at Georgia.

Clemson’s 2022 numbers were boosted a bit by Klubnik’s MVP performance off the bench in a 39-10 ACC Championship Game victory over North Carolina.

The biggest reason Clemson was an overwhelming favorite over Florida State in the ACC Kickoff media poll this July is the Riley-Klubnik tweak to the Tigers’ offense.

Riley, 33, has been on a path to a plum head coach job from his formative years in Muleshoe, Texas, to helping TCU somehow reach the national championship game in January.

Things change so fast in college football.

And do the Seminoles win a fresh ACC championship poll unanimously, or does one guy from the Upstate still vote orange?

What lies ahead

Klubnik’s first pass attempt of the 2023 season Monday night was dropped by Duke safety Jeremiah Lewis.

A Clemson defense as rugged as advertised, including freshmen defensive linemen Peter Woods and T.J. Parker playing well and in the same rotation, kept things close.

But too many turnovers (three), blocked kicks (two), ineffective bubble screens and Clemson receivers unable to get open turned Durham football fans into Cameron Crazies.

Former Duke head coach Steve Spurrier was smiling, too. The leader of the Blue Devils’ amazing 1989 ACC co-championship (which included a 21-17 upset of Clemson) was on hand for a ceremony with some of his former players.

It’s possible, of course, for Clemson to make a comeback, play better in the next two weeks against Charleston Southern and Florida Atlantic and give Florida State a great game on Sept. 23.

But the Seminoles will be favored — to win at Death Valley and again in the ACC Championship Game.

Against Duke. Or North Carolina. Maybe even Clemson.

Follow Gene Sapakoff on Twitter @sapakoff