The Clemson Tigers faced immense pressure after starting the season 1-2. Coming into the year, the hype surrounding the team was high. However, from the very start, Cade Klubnik has shown some of the same struggles he faced in previous years.
“Based on last year’s tape, the key area Klubnik needed to improve upon as a senior was to eliminate his panic moments that led to uncomfortable decision-making,” NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler of The Athletic wrote. “The main takeaway from his 2025 opener? That remains an issue for him.”
Head coach Dabo Swinney has also been under significant pressure early this season, for reasons that remain unclear. Earlier in the week, he delivered a fiery comment addressing both his accomplishments with the program and those calling for his dismissal.
“If they want me gone, they can send me on my way. If they’re tired of winning, they can send me on my way. I won’t stop. I’m 55. I’ll go somewhere else and win. I ain’t going to the beach. We’ve won this league eight of the last 10 years. Is that good? I’ve got a long memory in case y’all don’t know,” Swinney said.
On Saturday, the Tigers may have hit rock bottom, losing to Syracuse and dropping to 1-3. After the game, Klubnik accused Syracuse of faking injuries — even though he wasn’t asked about it.
“Whoa. Talking about how Clemson played well in a tempo offense today, Clemson QB Cade Klubnik brings up — unprompted — that he felt like Syracuse seemed to have a guy getting injured after Clemson made a big play. ‘It’s up to them if they wanna be honest about that,’” Clemson beat writer Chapel Fowler wrote.
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Klubnik was clearly unhappy with the timing of the injuries for Syracuse. The Tigers are now possibly out of College Football Playoff contention.
To call out Syracuse after losing to them suggests a sign of hitting rock bottom. Syracuse was simply the better team on the field, but Klubnik believes they took shortcuts to come away with the win.