Klubnik ready to let it rip in the second half of the season

Cade Klubnik is excited for the second half of the season.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Thu Oct 19 07:00:05 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON – Cade Klubnik is ready to let it rip in the second half of the season.

Klubnik had a solid first half of the season, completing 137-of-210 passes for 1,370 yards with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. However, Klubnik played what he called his second-worst game of the season against Wake Forest when he went 18-of-28 passing (64.3 percent) and threw for a season-low 131 yards with no touchdown passes and no interceptions. He also ran for 48 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.

The performance only falls behind the season opener at Duke for him when it comes to season lowlights.

“I wasn’t really just letting it rip. I didn’t see a few things...On the goal line, I might have had it, and it just kind of escaped a little bit prematurely sometimes,” Klubnik said earlier this week. “I don’t think it was something that anybody else did or anything like that. You play a lot of football, and sometimes, games are gonna happen like that. So, I just have to get ready for this next week, and it was a great time for a bye week. Just ready to go after it.”

Klubnik said the Tigers took advantage of the open date.

“We got after it. We didn’t let a day get wasted. We had a great week, and excited to just continue that,” Klubnik said. “Last week was almost our halftime in a way, so just kind of reset and rethinking, alright, what do I want these next six weeks to really look like? My hope is we get to play these next six games with no regrets and just go play, and give everything I possibly can and look up at the end of it and be happy with what we did.”

Klubnik said his plan for the second half of the season is to just let it rip.

“I think just to continue to play free, which I think I have gotten better at throughout the season. Just letting it rip, not second-guessing anything, and just letting it fly is one of the best things that I have gotten better at this season,” Klubnik said. “As an offense, just to start coming out strong, especially in the second half. Winning those middle eight at the finish of the second quarter and the start of the third. I think we have done a great job of finishing before the half, but really just coming out with a lot of energy and going to score. You know, the first drive of the game and the first drive of the second half is going to be big.”

The offense is getting back a huge piece of the puzzle this week with the return of slot receiver Antonio Williams.

“I think there is a lot of talk about the questions of our receiving rooms starting the year, and I don’t really hear those a lot anymore,” Klubnik said. “That’s really good to hear because you got Beaux Collins, Troy Stellato, Brannon Spector, Jake Briningstool, Sage Ennis, Josh Sapp, Antonio Williams, Tyler Brown, Hamp Greene, and Adam Randall that have all made big-time plays, and we are only six games into the year. It is really good for an offense to have that many players making contributions when we need them the most. I’m never going to play a perfect game, but a receiver can make me right.

“A receiver might not play a perfect game, but I'm going to do the best I can to give them the best opportunities to play. That’s what I have been most proud of out of anything, and I think that I have had a ton of confidence coming into the season in our receivers. That’s just been able to show out, so what we will be able to do with Antonio, and he is one of the best receivers in the country without a doubt. It’s special what he can do and excited to have him back.”