Ups and Downs: Emergence of Cade Klubik Helps Lead Clemson to ACC Championship

Led by freshman Cade Klubnik, the Clemson Tigers won its seventh ACC Championship in the past eight years with a 39-10 win over North Carolina.

Jason Priester All Clemson

CHARLOTTE, N.C.— Clemson is once again king of the ACC.

The Tigers knocked off North Carolina 39-10, giving Dabo Swinney's program its seventh league title in the past eight seasons.

With the win, Clemson became the first program to win 21 ACC titles. Twenty of those have been outright.

Ups

Cade Klubnik: It feels like the Cade Klubnik has officially begun. The freshman came on in relief of an ineffective DJ Uiagalelei in the first quarter, and never looked back, completing 20-of-24 of his passes for 224 yards, with one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown.

The offense was smooth, crisp, and never experienced one of those long, second-half lulls that it has been known for at times this season. Klubnik helped the Tigers go 5-of-10 on third down and 4-of-4 on red zone opportunities. It was one of the more efficient efforts seen from the offense over the second half of the season.

Nate Wiggins: The sophomore corner broke up two passes, and returned an interception 98 yards for a touchdown. It was the longest-scoring play in ACC Championship Game history. He also added a blocked field goal. Wiggins has steadily improved over the season and had his strongest performance to date in Charlotte.

Defense: While the Tar Heels did have some success moving the ball, Wes Goodwin's defense stiffened up when it needed to, as North Carolina was just 2-of-5 on red zone chances. It wasn't a suffocating effort by any stretch but the bend but don't break philosophy worked pretty well.

Clemson hurried Drake Maye eight times and sacked him four times. Wiggins also picked off a pass that he returned 98 yards for a touchdown. The Heels never reached the end zone over the final three quarters

Cole Turner: The coaches have talked about Turner contributing down the stretch, and the true freshman did just that on Saturday. Turner had 3 big catches and had 101 yards, the Tigers' first 100-yard receiver this season.

Winning the Turnover Margin: For five straight weeks, Clemson had come up on the wrong end of the turnover battle. Against the Heels, the Tigers forced three, without turning it over once.

Downs

Running Game: Clemson was never really able to establish the running game against a North Carolina defense that had not been great at stopping the run all season long. The Tigers managed just 68 yards on the ground, with Klubnik's 30 yards tops on the team. Will Shipley averaged just 2.6 yards per carry.

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