A collective gasp went through the Clemson faithful on Saturday when quarterback Cade Klubnik went down after a hard hit and did not return, but the Tigers' QB1 put any fears to rest after his team secured a crucial victory.
Despite getting "a little banged up," Klubnik was adamant postgame that the decision to remain on the sideline was situational, not medical.
"Yeah, I mean, you know, I could have gone back in the game and kind of pushed it and definitely could have," Klubnik stated, easing concerns about his health. "But I feel like just the situation of the game that we were in and just getting CV in there and letting him go play and stuff was good. It was good to see him in there."
When pressed for details on the play that sidelined him, Klubnik was brief. "I don't really know. I mean, just a couple of things banged up and just kind of, you know, a little banged up, just took a hit. But, I mean, I feel pretty good," he assured reporters. "So, I'm excited to go attack this week and excited to go learn from this game."
The move to keep Klubnik out allowed backup Christopher Vizzina to take command of the offense. Klubnik showed his leadership by defending his replacement after a tough fourth-down play near the goal line stalled a drive.
"Can't end the drive with a ball in your hands," Klubnik said, sympathizing with the difficult position. "And he just tried to make a play and I probably would have done the same thing. So, but yeah, definitely could have returned. Excited for the guys that got in there."
The injury scare couldn't overshadow another explosive performance by the Clemson offense, which has found a formidable rhythm. For the second consecutive game, the Tigers hung over 30 points in the first half, a trend Klubnik attributes to aggressive, efficient football.
"I think that for us it just shows us the power of starting fast and just guys doing their job," he explained. "Being really efficient on first and second downs is something I've talked about before... We didn't have very many third downs today, which is great."
"We kind of had a hurry up play. And a guy was playing about ten yards off and man coverage," Klubnik recalled. "I was like, 'you know what, let's go ahead and give a shot right here and see what he can do with it.' And we made it happen. So he made a heck of a play, great protection. I tried to go give him a chance."
That aggressive mindset was part of a broader strategy to attack the opponent's defensive scheme.
"You know, with all the man coverage they play, we're going to take what they're giving us," Klubnik said. "They're a very heavy pressure team... I thought we had a great plan by the coaches, and we just went and executed really well."
With a win streak building, the mood in the locker room is electric as the Tigers head into a pivotal week and a rematch of last year's ACC Championship against SMU.
"We're playing with a lot of confidence right now," Klubnik said with a smile. "And it's just fun to see the guys playing well, just all around. It's just, it's been really fun, excited to continue to build on it."
Even as he celebrated the win, Klubnik's focus was already on improvement, praising the second-team unit that finished the game with a clock-killing drive.
"Just really proud of the way that I battled and the whole team battled and really finished, especially on that last two-minute drive," he concluded. "You get in there and go on a big-time drive like Keith Adams and that offensive line just take them down the field. It was great."