Clemson Tigers Star Named ACC Quarterback of the Week for 2nd Game in a Row

The Clemson Tigers quarterback has changed the narrative surrounding him, earning the top spot in the ACC for a second consecutive week that he was eligible.

Sep 21, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) runs for a touchdown against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. / Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers looked to have quarterback problems yet again after the first game of the season, but the script has been flipped in recent weeks.

Pro Football Focus handed out their weekly awards for college football and in doing so, gave Cade Klubnik the ACC quarterback of the week honor for his second game in the row that he was eligible, given that the Tigers had their bye in between his wins.

The final score against the N.C. State Wolfpack ended up looking a little bit closer than it actually was thanks to some late Wolfpack touchdowns against Clemson backups. Don't let that distract from the fact that Klubnik actually led an efficient drubbing on Saturday.

By the time that he had his last drive of game in the third quarter, the Tigers were up 52-7.

The junior had posted a 16-for-24 line with 209 passing yards and three touchdowns and no turnovers. His adjusted line was even slightly better given that one of his receivers had dropped a pass.

Drops have actually been a large part of the issues for the Clemson offense in the past and have made Klubnik out to be a little bit worse than he has been.

His receivers dropped 27 passes last season and already have four this year through three games.

The Texas native has a career adjusted completion percentage of 75.0% per PFF. That's just half a percentage point less than Trevor Lawrence and about 1.5 less than Deshaun Watson during their times as Tigers.

That's not to let Klubnik off the hook completely, either, though, as he has had plenty of issues on his own.

Over the past two weeks, though, he's looked much more decisive and confident in the pocket. It probably helps that he hasn't been playing against one of the best defensive insitutions in the sport full of elite athletes.

He even showed off some wheels as he broke off a 55-yard run for a touchdown, something he hasn't been known to do much of throughout his career. His longest rush before that was 22 yards last year.

The performance of the quarterback is the most important cog in getting the offense going. It's no surprise that every thing on the team has looked smoother as Klubnik has been playing with much more poise.

If he can keep this level of performance up, Clemson should absolutely be able to compete for a playoff spot through winning the ACC.