How Clemson football's Cade Klubnik, revamped defensive line performed in spring game (2024)

CLEMSON — In Clemson football's annual spring game, Team Orange handled Team White 27-12 Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Trailing 3-0 early in the first quarter, the Orange team took the lead after Bryant Wesco Jr. made an over-the-shoulder catch for a 9-yard touchdown. Then, Jamal Anderson returned an interception of a Christopher Vizzina pass for a touchdown on the following drive.

Cade Klubnik put the game out of reach on a 15-play, 75-yard second-quarter touchdown drive that took more than seven minutes. He found Peyton Streko near the goal line for a 5-yard pass that set up the redshirt freshman's 1-yard touchdown to make the score 21-6.

Klubnik left the game early in the fourth quarter with an apparent lower leg injury and did not return.

Here are three takeaways from the annual spring game.

How QB Cade Klubnik performed

It was a turbulent game for Klubnik and Vizzina, who both threw an interception. Klubnik made nice throws, including a 55-yard completion to Adam Randall in the third quarter, but missed open receivers throughout the game. The junior went 13-for-26 for 158 yards.

On the other hand, Pearman, who played for both teams Saturday, shined. He led a five-play, 57-yard first-quarter touchdown drive for the Orange team. Then, the 2022 walk-on from nearby Daniel High swapped to the White team for a five-play, 75-yard second-quarter touchdown drive. He had 141 yards on 13-for-18 and two total touchdowns.

Midyear enrollees impress in first spring game

The Tigers showcased their 11th-ranked freshman class, according to 247Sports, with four players making a huge impact. Wesco scored a 9-yard receiving touchdown in the first quarter and ended with three catches for 26 yards. Five-star Sammy Brown recorded a sack on the Orange's team opening drive and finished with eight total tackles.

Tavoy Feagin picked off Klubnik in the first quarter to end a promising drive, and Nolan Hauser made field goals of 29 and 48-yards amidst his kicking battle with Robert Gunn III.

FRESH LOOK:Clemson football freshman wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. notches first TD in spring game

Clemson football showcases defensive depth

Despite not returning any starter on the defensive line, the Tigers displayed their depth. Even with Peter Woods out Saturday with mononucleosis, both teams' lines combined for nine sacks and three pass breakups. In order to avoid injuries to the quarterbacks, coach Dabo Swinney gave them non-contact status and quickly whistled a sack whenever a defender got within arms' length of the quarterbacks.

The standouts were StephiylanGreen (four sacks), Cade Denhoff (two tackles for loss, one pass deflection) and A.J. Hoffler (one sack, one pass deflection).

Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him atdcarter@gannett.comand follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00

How Clemson football's Cade Klubnik, revamped defensive line performed in spring game (2024)

FAQs

What was the score of the Clemson football game in spring? ›

CLEMSON, S.C. — Team Orange's defense used 14 tackles for loss, nine sacks and a pick-six en route to a 27-12 win over the White Team in Clemson's annual Spring Game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

What was the score of the Clemson spring game in 2024? ›

The Clemson Football 2024 Spring Game occurred Saturday afternoon, with the Orange Team defeating the White Team 27-12.

How many games has Cade Klubnik started? ›

enters 2024 having completed 351-of-554 career passes for 3,541 yards with 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 1,198 career snaps over 23 games (14 starts) ... has also rushed for 321 yards and six touchdowns on 167 career carries and caught one pass for 19 yards.

Is Cade Klubnik the starter? ›

By any measure, Klubnik's first year as the Tigers' starter was a growing season. “We were just a really young team last year,” Klubnik said. “We had to learn the hard way sometimes and I had to learn the hard way. That's just how it is.”

What is the highest scoring Clemson football game? ›

List of 100-point games
Winning teamLosing teamScore
ClemsonGuilford122–0
CoeHighland Park College115–0
ColgateRPI107–0
ColoradoRegis109–0
62 more rows

How many times has Clemson won? ›

Clemson Tigers football
Claimed national titles3 (1981, 2016, 2018)
National finalist4 (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019)
Conference titles27 (21 ACC, 4 SIAA, 2 SoCon)
Division titles9
27 more rows

Has Clemson ever won the World Series? ›

The program has reached the NCAA tournament in all but three seasons dating back to 1987. Clemson has made 12 appearances in the College World Series with an all-time record of 12–24 in Omaha.

How many 10 win seasons does Clemson have in a row? ›

The record for consecutive 10-win seasons is 15, as Alabama's 15th consecutive 10-win season in 2022 broke Florida State's record of 14 from 1987-2000. With its 12th consecutive 10-win season in 2022, Clemson joined Florida State and Alabama as the only programs ever to reach 10 wins in a dozen straight seasons.

Is Cade Klubnik a 5 star? ›

Quarterback Cade Klubnik

For the Tigers to return to the standard of winning national championships, the former five-star recruit must elevate his game in his junior season. Klubnik improved in his sophom*ore year, recording 2,844 passing yards with 19 touchdowns to finish among the top quarterbacks in the ACC.

How good is Cade Klubnik? ›

Like the other great Clemson QBs before him, Klubnik entered Clemson with all the pedigree in the world. He was one of just four 5-star (247 Composite) quarterbacks in the 2022 class (Drew Allar [PSU], Connor Weigman [TX A&M], and Ty Simpson [Alabama] were the others).

Who is the quarterback with the long blonde hair? ›

William Trevor Lawrence (born October 6, 1999) is an American football quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL).

Will Cade Klubnik transfer? ›

Cade Klubnik doesn't fit the profile of a player likely to transfer out of Clemson Football. Even in 2021 when it seemed like things were beginning to unravel for the Tigers, players didn't jump ship from the program.

Who did Cade Klubnik replace? ›

Uiagalelei capped his junior season with an 8-for-29 effort in a loss to South Carolina and a 2-for-5 start in the ACC Championship Game that led to him being replaced by Klubnik, then a freshman.

Who is number 2 on Clemson football team? ›

Clemson Tigers Roster
NamePOSHT
C. Klubnik #2QB6-2
C. Pendergrass #65OL6-3
C. Johnson #85WR6-4
C. Byrd #29WR5-11
65 more rows

When did Clemson win? ›

Clemson was a College Football Playoff finalist in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019, defeating Alabama in both 2016 and 2018 to secure the national title.

What football games are on today? ›

NFL Schedule
MATCHUPTIME
DEN@ SEA1:05 PM
DAL@ CLE1:25 PM
WSH@ TB1:25 PM
LAR@ DET5:20 PM
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Who did Clemson lose to? ›

Clemson football's loss to Notre Dame last season was a turning point for the Tigers in 2022. The unranked Fighting Irish dominated the No. 4 Tigers 35-14 at Notre Dame Stadium. It was Clemson's first of two losses that season, and it jeopardized its College Football Playoff hopes.

What rank is Clemson football? ›

AP Top 25 Updated Jan 8, 2024
RankTeamNext Game
20Clemson 9-4Sat, Aug 31 @ 12:00 pm
21NC State 9-4Thu, Aug 29 @ 7:00 pm
22SMU 11-3Sat, Aug 24 @ 8:00 pm
23Kansas 9-4Thu, Aug 29 @ 8:00 pm
21 more rows

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