The Clemson Tigers are facing challenges with their historically slow start, and their quarterbacks seem to be pointing fingers at one another.
Cade Klubnik, the senior quarterback, spoke to reporters after a 34-21 defeat at home against Syracuse on Saturday.
Klubnik, who completed 61.7% of his passes for 363 yards, along with three touchdowns and one interception, felt confident when they took control of the game. However, he noted that momentum frequently shifted whenever Syracuse had player injuries or called for timeouts.
He observed that the timing of these injuries and timeouts seemed particularly convenient for Syracuse and speculated that they might have happened only after Clemson made notable progress.
“We were really playing with a good tempo throughout. They did stop us on some third downs, but when we were hitting our stride, they seemed to have injuries,” Klubnik said. “If they want to be honest about it, that’s their choice, but it definitely disrupted our rhythm.”
Clemson had difficulty gaining momentum, as Syracuse scored on each of its first four drives, taking a 24-7 lead early in the second quarter. The Orange managed to extend their lead further, essentially sealing the game.
This marks a disappointing beginning for Clemson, now sitting at 1-3, which is their worst start since 2004.
Head coach Dabo Swinney, who previously led the Tigers to national championships in 2016 and 2018, described Saturday’s loss as “painful in a way that’s hard to articulate.”
With a bye week approaching, Clemson is looking to regain its footing against North Carolina on October 4th. Swinney emphasized the need to move beyond missed opportunities, stressing that they are the ones responsible for changing the situation.
“Right now, we’re basically looking at an eight-game season. We’ve got to fight hard to win and build some momentum,” he said.
