Clemson football's two-minute drill at Gator Bowl should become standard procedure
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — We may have inadvertently discovered the answer to any offensive struggles that might arise for Clemson in the future.
The No. 22 Tigers should begin every game with a two-minute drill on their first possession. And every possession thereafter, for that matter.
Anyone who watched the Tigers’ 38-35 comeback victory Friday against Kentucky in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl had to be impressed with their game-winning drive: 12 plays covering 68 yards in 2 minutes, 17 seconds.
Sophomore quarterback Cade Klubnik, whose judgment and execution had been called into question on more than a few occasions, was a master tactician when it counted most, engineering a drive that coach Dabo Swinney probably wishes he could bottle.
Klubnik went 8-for-8 on the drive, including a pair of key third-down completions that helped keep the drive alive. It culminated with a 3-yard touchdown run by Phil Mafah and a successful two-point conversion pass by Klubnik in what became a Wild West show in the fourth quarter.
Clemson rallied for 28 fourth-quarter points, tying a school record, and the final quarter included five lead changes.
It was fortunate the Tigers scored last and gave the ball back to Kentucky with only 17 seconds on the clock, lest we still might be left shaking our heads at what unfolded at EverBank Stadium.
Put it this way: Former Clemson star Trevor Lawrence, who surfaced along the Tigers' sideline with Jacksonville Jaguars and former Clemson teammate Travis Etienne in the third quarter, was probably impressed with what Klubnik was able to produce.
Gunslinger to gunslinger, you know. Klubnik is from Texas, and it would appear that a faster tempo is better suited to his style. Swinney conceded as much in the aftermath.
“There’s no question that tempo is good for him,” he said. “When he gets in rhythm, he sees it and he did a good job with that. What a drive.
“That’s the type of game that can do a lot for a young quarterback. It just fuels him moving forward. It was well-orchestrated.”
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It also begs for future employment. If you’ve got a quarterback whose game is complemented by a looser, faster pace, why not give that approach an extensive look, particularly with the incoming wide receiver talent that soon will be joining the fray?
Sounds like Klubnik would be all on board.
“It was a two-minute drill,” he said. “I liked the pace of it. We knew tempo could be a problem for them.”
It was.
And if this up-tempo thing sticks, it could be a problem for all of Clemson’s opponents in 2024.
Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at skeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ScottKeepfer
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Gator Bowl opens Clemson football's eyes to QB Cade Klubnik's strength
