Clemson’s hopes for a late-season turnaround may rest on the health of its quarterback. After a brutal 1-3 start to the season and a recent rebound against North Carolina, the Tigers still face an uphill battle to salvage their year, and any faint College Football Playoff hopes appear all but gone.
Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde didn’t mince words when assessing Clemson’s postseason chances, writing that the team is “cooked” as an at-large playoff contender. Despite an explosive 38-10 win over North Carolina that featured Cade Klubnik completing 22 of 24 passes for 254 yards and four touchdowns, Forde noted that the Tigers’ early losses have left them little room for error.
“With three losses and few chances for quality wins remaining, Clemson is cooked as an at-large playoff contender,” Forde said. “They’ll need to win the ACC Championship to have any shot.”
Now, Dabo Swinney’s team is dealing with another concern: Klubnik’s health. According to the Independent Mail, Swinney confirmed that Klubnik missed practice on October 13 due to an ankle sprain suffered against Boston College. However, the Clemson head coach expects his star quarterback to be ready for the Tigers’ upcoming matchup with SMU.
“He’s sore but expect him to play (vs. SMU),” Swinney said on October 14. “We’ll be smart with him, and we got almost a week before game time. The main thing is just getting him to make sure he’s got the plan down.”
Klubnik’s status will be key for Clemson (3-3, 2-2 ACC) as they prepare to host SMU (4-2, 2-0) on October 18. The sophomore has been instrumental in the Tigers’ offensive resurgence, completing 81.5% of his passes for 534 yards and six touchdowns over his last two games.
Clemson’s 79 total points in that stretch equal the total from their first four games combined.
If Klubnik isn’t at full strength, Swinney said he has confidence in backup Christopher Vizzina, a third-year quarterback who’s appeared in three games this season. “It’s been good that he had some real game time in back-to-back games,” Swinney said. “That experience will only help him get better.”
Still, Clemson’s recent stretch of misfortune continues. Earlier this month, the Tigers lost cornerback Shelton Lewis to the transfer portal after three seasons, thinning an already struggling secondary. The timing couldn’t be worse for a team trying to find rhythm on both sides of the ball.
For Swinney, the message remains the same: fight through adversity and finish strong. But unless Clemson can string together consistent wins and stay healthy, their climb back into national relevance may have to wait until next season.
