After going down 21-10 with five minutes left to go in the third quarter, Dabo Swinney took a chance that, at least at the time, felt like it could re-shape the face of Clemson Football forever. After watching his quarterback, DJ Uiagalelei, throw two interceptions and lose a fumble in his 30th appearance for the Tigers, the championship-winning head coach decided to make a change in the hopes of securing the dub over a surprisingly potent Syracuse team by inserting Cade Klubnik into the game.
Fortunately for Swinney, the decision worked, as the former five-star recruit didn't do anything to set his team back in only his fifth appearance for the team, but the decision to make such a drastic swap did generate a good bit of intrigue as to the future of the position. Would Swinney stick with the hot hand, even if Klubnik only went 2-4 for 19 yards, over his long-time starter, who has been up and down in 2022? Or would the future NFL performer keep his reign alive as the team marches toward an undefeated season? Fortunately, the head coach provided some insight into that question in his post-game media session, and believe you me, the quote, transcribed by The Athletic, is a doozy.
“Sometimes Steph Curry goes 2-for-25,” Swinney declared. “DJ's our quarterback, there ain't no question about that.”
Welp, there you go: sometimes a quarterback has a bad day, and Week 8 was definitely that for Uiagalelei. With Will Shipley running like a madman, Clemson football doesn't necessarily need Trevor Lawrence-level play from under center, but should Uiagalelei struggle again, it's reassuring to know Swinney can always turn to Klubnik as a sort of sixth man coming off the bench, to keep with the head coach's metaphor.