I was not confident about Clemson’s prospects playing for the ACC Championship in Charlotte and their first two drives exemplified exactly why. Clemson’s first drive was a quick three-and-out in which they threw three passes. Two were incomplete due to inaccurate throws and the other gained just two yards. The next drive progressed just five yards before ending in a punt. After the coaching staff declined to make a QB change even in the grimmest of circumstances against South Carolina, I doubted they’d pull the trigger in this moment, but they did.
After inserting Klubnik, Clemson scored on all four remaining possessions of the half, went into halftime with a 24-10 lead, and then broke it completely open in the third quarter.