Clemson QB Cade Klubnik learned one thing about Tennessee the hard way in the Orange Bowl
Clemson Tigers true freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik learned one thing about the Tennessee Vols the hard way on Friday night in the Orange Bowl. Klubnik, who made his first career start in Clemson's 31-14 loss to Tennessee, played well in the Orange Bowl and he showed that he has the talent to be a star […]
Clemson Tigers true freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik learned one thing about the Tennessee Vols the hard way on Friday night in the Orange Bowl.
Klubnik, who made his first career start in Clemson's 31-14 loss to Tennessee, played well in the Orange Bowl and he showed that he has the talent to be a star in the ACC.
But he was only able to get the ball into the end zone once despite Clemson running 100 total plays, winning the time of possession battle by 13 minutes, and getting into the red zone four times.
After the game, Klubnik complimented Tennessee for disguising their coverages, but then expressed frustration that Clemson couldn't finish drives.
"We were driving on them every single drive," said Klubnik after the loss. "We just were. But for some reason when we got in the red zone we just couldn’t finish.”
This has been a staple of Tennessee's defense all season. They'll play their defensive backs deep to prevent big plays while trying to generate pressure with their defensive front. This often leads to teams getting into the red zone, but that's when the Vols' defense is at its best.
Tennessee was No. 11 this season in red zone defense. They were No. 3 in the SEC (behind Georgia and Texas A&M).
"We just play better when the pressure's on and they're about to score," said Vols linebacker Aaron Beasley after the game.
Klubnik couldn't understand why Clemson was able to drive down the field and then stall out on offense. But if he watched Tennessee's film from the entire season, he'd realize that it's the same thing the Vols did against LSU, Florida, Kentucky, and Missouri earlier this year.
Some lessons are learned the hard way. Klubnik is going to be a great college football player — he showed that in the ACC Championship game against North Carolina — but he's not quite ready to win big games against top SEC teams like Tennessee.
Featured image via Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
