Cade Klubnik thanks DJ Uiagalelei for his leadership, talks about "B-minus" outing

Klubnik looks for running room against FSU.

David Hood - Senior Writer - Sunday, October 06 2024

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Cade Klubnik didn’t mince words in his postgame press conference, giving the offense a passing grade while also giving credit to former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei.

Clemson had 500 yards of offense in a balanced attack that saw the Tigers gain 265 yards on the ground and 235 yards through the air. Clemson didn’t attempt a pass in the fourth quarter and was able to run out the clock, but the Tigers were also 4-of-6 in the redzone and attempted a record seven field goals.

Klubnik was 19-of-33 for 235 yards and two touchdowns and added 62 yards on the ground, but he said he knows they left plays on the field.

“Really proud of the guys. Obviously, we want to convert some of those field goals to touchdowns, and they did a good job on their side of the ball (FSU) in preparing for us and a couple of shots we wanted to,” Klubnik said. “I feel like we played mediocre, not mediocre, but a B-minus game on offense in total, and we still had over 500 yards of offense, so that's really special. And I'm really proud of the guys and how we battled the whole game.”

What led to some of the issues?

“I don't know. I mean, I'll go look at it,” Klubnik said. “They're packing in the box like crazy, everyone trying to stop the run and stuff and just the way their corners and were playing. But if we had our do-overs, probably attack them in some different ways. But yeah, just kind of packing in the box.”

Uiagalelei transferred to Florida State after last season, but the Seminoles were 1-4 with him as the starter, and he might miss significant time after surgery to repair his throwing hand. Klubnik and Uiagalelei spent time together before the game, and Klubnik was asked what was said. ‘

“It was good to see him. I haven't seen him since he left, and obviously, we text every once in a while,” Klubnik said. “But I just told him I was praying for his hand more than anything. Just told him that I was thankful for him and thankful for the time that we had together, and just thankful for the things that he taught me and I'm trying to carry out those things. It was great. It was a little disappointing that he couldn't play tonight. It would've been fun, but I wasn't really too focused on it.”

Klubnik said that he learned a lot of lessons under Uiagalelei’s guidance.

“Just stuff that really an older mentor player…. just his work ethic and the hours that he would put in and the way he watched the game,” Klubnik said. “The way that I saw him after practice Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, the last one at the facility until 10 o'clock every single night. Just seeing those things, whether you notice it or not, his work ethic just pushed me a lot, and I tried to bring that to the QB room. And wanting to do things that nobody else was doing. And there's just so many other things. The way he led and the way he just loved on people, but I've got nothing but great words for him and hopefully he's got a quick recovery.”