Clemson Tigers QB Cade Klubnik Describes Himself as 'Unbreakable' Following Syracuse Loss

The Clemson Tigers' struggles hit a new low on Saturday in the 34-21 loss to Syracuse. The defeat dropped the Tigers to 1-3 for the first time since 2004 under Tommy Bowden, marking a fourth straight loss to a Power-4 opponent. 

In their last nine games against major competition, Clemson sits just 3-6, a far cry from the program's championship standard.

In the aftermath of the devastating loss, quarterback Cade Klubnik stepped to the podium to reflect on where the Tigers stand.

He started his postgame remarks by evaluating the overall performance, pointing to the lack of consistency between units and how the Tigers couldn't quite put together a full four quarters of efficient offense.

The topic has been a common denominator for Clemson this season, as the offense and defense haven't co-existed together for a full game yet, even with their comeback win against Troy.

"We have to play as a team; complementary football is where we have not shone. When the defense has been playing great and we haven't done great on offense, and vice versa. I was really proud of our start on offense; we went right down the field," he emphasized. "But I got to play four quarters, and we got to play as a team. It's really what it comes down to. You know, [the defense] had our back in the second half, and we had a couple of opportunities to find a way to come back and win, and we were close, but didn't get it done. It's tough."

Naturally, much of the focus turned toward the offense, which managed only one touchdown with five turnovers in its final eight possessions, despite putting up 503 total yards. Klubnik admitted it's been frustrating because he feels the talent is there, but the unit hasn't found a way to put all the pieces together.

"We're so close. We got all the ingredients, and we're not baking the cake right now. It's hard to see. Eight possessions, one score, that's not good enough. It's just not," Klubnik disappointingly said. "I have to continue to play better. You have to continue to look at yourself in the mirror, watch the film, and see how we can get better. It takes every single one of us. So, continue to fight, fight for Clemson. I feel like we fought until the very last play today and will continue doing that."

The Tigers entered the contest averaging just 22 points against opponents to start the season, but Klubnik felt this was one of their cleaner performances execution-wise. While acknowledging the frustration, he said the offense didn't feel weighed down by its early-season struggles.

"I feel like it was our best game offensively. I feel like we played great. There are just a few times where 10 guys were doing their job instead of 11, and that's hard," he explained. "I feel like we played our best game offensively today and just got to find a way to win, watch film, and get better."

Clemson had some success when it picked up the pace in the fourth quarter, but too many drives fizzled on third downs.

The Tigers went just 3-for-13 on third down conversions and 1-for-5 on fourth down conversions throughout the matchup, and Klubnik noted how stoppages disrupted their rhythm, even mentioning an alleged fake injury. The quarterback didn't directly call it a tactic, but the implication was clear.

"We were doing [tempo] really all throughout the game. We were playing with tempo and props to [Syracuse]. They stopped us on some third downs and at certain times, and then you know, they have an injury or something like that when we really got going. That's up to them if they want to be honest about that," he voiced. "That was definitely tough for us to really get in a rhythm, and we're playing fast, and then you know, unfortunately, they had a guy get hurt or a timeout. I feel like we came out really healthy, and hopefully they did too. I love playing with tempo, and I feel like we did it really well, especially in the fourth quarter. But even in the first and second, we just got to continue to do that and find ways to overcome a delay, whatever it may be."

While it was a disappointing weekend for the Tigers, one bright spot was the return of star receiver Antonio Williams, who caught five passes for 49 yards, and veteran offensive lineman Tristan Leigh, who helped stabilize a line that allowed only one sack.

Williams has been out since the first drive of the season-opener versus LSU, exiting with a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined the past two weeks. Leigh also missed the past two weeks, suffering an ankle injury against LSU.

"It was great to get [Antonio] in there. We got to continue to find ways to get him the ball, but I was really proud of the way that he led and really proud of that whole receiving core and tight ends and everybody," he joyously expressed. "I thought they did a heck of a job. We'll continue to fight together."

With the bye week arriving after an 0-2 start to conference play, Clemson has time to regroup before diving into a six-game ACC stretch. The teams include: North Carolina, Boston College, SMU, Duke, Florida State and Louisville.

Klubnik said he's choosing to view what's ahead as a chance to reset and attack the remainder of the schedule.

"I'll definitely try to take advantage of the bye-week and look ahead to an eight-game season and see what we've got in front of us," he said. "Go play football, have fun doing it for eight games, and hopefully go earn some more after that.

Even as the Tigers head into the bye-week with their worst start in 21 years, and since the hiring of head coach Dabo Swinney, Cade Klubnik delivered one of his most passionate and determined answers of the presser when asked about the team's future. 

He emphasized that, despite the early-season struggles, his confidence in himself and in his teammates has not wavered. Klubnik made it clear that he is fully committed to Clemson and giving everything he has for the program, regardless of the scoreboard or record.

"I got to hold the belief. Something about me is that I'm unbreakable. I will stand on that, and I will continue to fight for this team and fight for Clemson. They have done so much for me, and I'm not going anywhere," he highlighted. "I will continue to play the game that I love with energy and heart. As you saw today, I'm not going anywhere, and I'll continue to fight for this team, no matter what it looks like, what the scoreboard is, or what the record is. Records don't define us. It's coming to work every single day, and that's who I am and that's who I'll continue to be."