Cade Klubnik claims Clemson is 'just a few plays away' from having a completely different season

While the college football world continues to ponder where it all went wrong for Clemson, there’s a sense in the Tigers locker room that they’re closer than it might seem. Quarterback Cade Klubnik was the latest to voice that sentiment in a press conference on Wednesday.

Coming off of back-to-back losses and off to a 1-3 start to the season, Klubnik admitted that he personally has to be better. At the same time, he expressed that he felt like Clemson was “just a few plays away” from a different outcome in some of its losses.

“We’ve all got to be better,” the QB said. “That starts with me and just leading the guys and playing good. I feel like if I go play well, that’s gonna spark everybody else. …We’re so close to it being a completely different season. Just a few plays away, other than the last one. Especially just the first two losses. Two great opponents.”

Clemson opened the season at No. 4 in the country and faced a top 10 opponent right off the bat against LSU in Week 1. That game remained mostly competitive throughout and was tied heading into the fourth quarter before LSU eventually scored the go-ahead touchdown.

Then, two weeks later in the ACC opener, Clemson lost on a last-second field goal against Georgia Tech. In those two losses combined, Klubnik threw for only one touchdown and two interceptions.

Clemson has left a lot to be desired offensively so far with just 19.8 points per game, which ranks 116th in the country. Perhaps this Saturday can be a chance for Cade Klubnik to finally get things going as the Tigers take on North Carolina.

There’s no sugarcoating it: the start to this season has been disastrous for Clemson. At the same time, there’s still more than half the games to be played and ample opportunity to write a different ending. That’s the belief that Klubnik and his teammates are choosing to hold heading into Week 6.

“We’ve just got to play better and continue to fight and focus on the details,” he said. “That’s what got us beat. The other team playing harder and then our details. We’ve got to focus on the details and that’s throughout the week. Coach showed us a video earlier this week about you have to earn the right to win. That’s throughout the week. It’s throughout your preparation.”