Dabo Swinney Defends the Play of Clemson Tigers Star

The Clemson Tigers are on a roll and Dabo Swinney knows it has a lot to do with the play of their biggest star.

Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney after a 49-14 win at Wake Forest. / Todd Shanesy / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers are on a roll and there are no signs of slowing down after a 48-31 win over the Virginia Cavaliers.

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik had an impressive day through the air. Despite throwing an interception, he amassed 308 passing yards on 23 of 35 attempts. He also tallied three scoring tosses. Despite those numbers, he was critical of his play after the win.

“Personally, I’m pretty upset about a couple of my throws today,” Klubnik told reporters after the win. “Some days, you’re not on it, and I’ll look back at it and figure out why. At the end of the day, it’s mechanics."

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was asked about the comments made by his quarterback on Monday. He defended his star passer.

"He just missed some plays," Swinney said. "He still had a great day. He was 23-of-35, 308 yards and three touchdowns. He just missed too many layups. That's what he was talking about. He had wide open for a touchdown in the end zone. In a tighter game, we need to make those plays. We had a couple of plays outside that we didn't make for him. He had a really good day, but he's got a high standard. We had 539 yards but we should have had 600+ had we just made some routine plays."

On the season, Klubnik has thrown for 1,836 yards, 20 touchdowns, and just three interceptions. That stat line puts him at fourth among quarterbacks in the ACC. Cam Ward of Miami leads the way with 2,538 yards through the air.

The Clemson Tigers return to action against the Louisville Cardinals on November 2nd.