A guess at which Clemson quarterback will Notre Dame face in two weeks
The focus this week will be on Syracuse, but one can’t help but look ahead to the tilt against Clemson. Yes, both the Orangemen and Tigers are ranked, but with Dabo Swinney’s team coming from behind to defeat Dino Baber’s squad this past weekend, the Tigers exposed some of Syracuse’s weaknesses.
One of them was their inability to put Clemson away, after leading 21-7 at the end of the second quarter, Syracuse didn’t score again and allowed the home team to mount a comeback. It wasn’t starter DJ Uiagalelei leading the second half charge, it was true freshman Cade Klubnik. That begs the question of who will start for Clemson in two weeks when they face the Irish.
Dabo on benching DJ Uiagalelei: "Sometimes Steph Curry goes 2-for-25 … We just needed a change. DJ's our quarterback … you can write that right now, DJ's our guy. But how about Cade Klubnik coming in there and leading these guys?" pic.twitter.com/MRHlQJLiYP
— Marc Whiteman (@MarcWYFFNews4) October 22, 2022
Actions speak louder than words, especially in sports and while Uiagalelei has taken the majority of the snaps this year, it’s conceivable that Klubnik will get some playing time for the Tigers. What makes this tough for the Irish is that Clemson has an off week and could be preparing the freshman to make his first start.
Clemson true freshman QB Cade Klubnik makes a nice play on this two-point conversion. He's elusive in and out of the pocket. pic.twitter.com/bEsxwIi5yI
— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) October 22, 2022
If Swinney isn’t afraid to throw him to the fire against an undefeated Syracuse team, why would he be cautious against a Notre Dame team that has struggled? There are a few factors here, one is history and the other is location.
Uiagalelei torched the Irish in his second ever start two seasons ago, throwing for 439 yards with two scores through the air and one on the ground, no interceptions and guiding his visiting team to 40 points albeit in a loss in double-overtime.
This is a beautiful angle of a DJ Uiagalelei throw😍 pic.twitter.com/1bjJSU3knA
— Owen Kidd (@OKiddVT) October 22, 2022
The other factor that could sway Swinney’s decision is that the game is on the road. Does he want a Klubnik’s first start to be on the road?
QBs with the lowest turnover worthy play rates this season:
1. Dillon Gabriel: 0.5%
2. Jayden Daniels: 0.7%
3. DJ Uiagalelei: 1.2%
3. Michael Penix Jr: 1.2% pic.twitter.com/WidYdKZBIq— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 21, 2022
Even with up and down play from his incumbent starter, if I was Swinney, I’d stick to how they got to 8-0, with Uiagalelei starting. The good news for him is that he knows if his starter struggles, there’s a capable back-up waiting in the wings. It will be very interesting to see how this plays out in a little under two weeks as they take on the Irish.
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