During Week 1 of college football, No. 9 LSU managed to outlast No. 4 Clemson in dramatic fashion. The LSU Tigers went on the road and took Clemson down 17-10, which also marked LSU head coach Brian Kelly’s first season-opening victory as the Tigers’ coach.
While the battle went into the fourth quarter, LSU’s defensive game plan allowed the Tigers to capitalize. One way in which Kelly and his team sealed the victory was by capitalizing on Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik’s mistakes.
Dabo Swinney Admits Cade Klubnik Didn’t Play Well
Klubnik completed 19 of 38 attempted completions, throwing for 230 yards and one bad interception in the third quarter. He was also sacked twice in his own Memorial Stadium.
According to CBS Sports, both Klubnik and LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier were considered as the potential No. 1 overall draft pick in next year’s NFL Draft.
After Saturday’s game, Nussmeier can likely be viewed as the better pick between the two.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said that while he still sees the potential in Klubnik, he admits the signal caller did not play at his best.
“He just didn’t play well. I can’t sugarcoat it,” said Swinney. “Says there were several times Klubnik missed his hot routes, scrambled when he didn’t need to. “Sometimes that happens when you haven’t played live ball in a while. He’ll be okay.”
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney on QB Cade Klubnik: “He just didn’t play well. I can’t sugarcoat it.” Says there were a number of times Klubnik missed his hot routes, scrambled when he didn’t need to. “Sometimes that happens when you haven’t played live ball in a while. He’ll be OK”
— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) August 31, 2025
Klubnik was at one time considered a Heisman contender but was then flustered by LSU’s pass rush and blitzes, disrupting his timing and causing him to miss throws. Additionally, Clemson rushed for 31 yards on 20 carries (including a longest run of seven yards), which would be its fewest number of yards in 2024.
However, Swinney also said there’s still a long football season ahead.
“I think we’ve got a chance to be a great team. I really do. It’s certainly disappointing with some of the execution (vs. LSU) … but I think this is a team that’ll get better with a long season ahead of them, starting this week,” Swinney said.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney: “I think we’ve got a chance to be a great team. I really do. It’s certainly disappointing with some of the execution (vs. LSU) … but I think this is a team that’ll get better with a long season ahead of them, starting this week”
— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) August 31, 2025
The Clemson Tigers and Klubnik next turn their attention to take on Troy on Saturday, Sept. 6.
