Klubnik says he has to flush and forget mistakes, appreciates Garrett Riley's support

Klubnik appreciates the support of Riley and his teammates (Photo by Merrell Mann).

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Mon Sep 11 12:30:14 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON – Cade Klubnik knows he hasn’t played his best this season, but like any good quarterback, he’s focused on what’s ahead.

Klubnik was solid in Saturday’s 66-17 victory over Charleston Southern, completing 28-of-37 passes for 315 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. The lone interception was returned for a touchdown and a fumbled snap on fourth down led to another CSU score.

Klubnik had no answers for the interception.

“I don't even know what I was doing. Yeah, I was just trying to throw it away,” Klubnik said Monday. “I should have thrown it away left and just kind of reset. I think sometimes what people don't realize is you can't really see everything. There's Blake Miller at 6-6, and then five other guys right in front of you that you sometimes can't really see around. So, I was trying to find my backside curl and just couldn't really find them, couldn't see them, and then just tried to throw it away. It was a poor decision and a poor throw. So definitely one I would want back, but I was just trying to get rid of it, not take a ten-yard sack.”

Klubnik said he knows he has to play better and start faster.

“I try to attack practice every single day like it's a game. And then whenever I go out to the games, I just try to play free,” he said. “Every day that I go out to practice, I'm pretending that I'm playing in front of 85,00 fans and trying to give it my all every single day and just try to create a game-like atmosphere every single time I step out there and not go through the motions. So, yeah, I think whenever you do get in front of the big crowds and everything, it's the same plays you've been running all week, it's the same stuff.

“Hopefully I don't have too many bad plays I actually have to flush out. I don't have to do too much practice with that. But when it does happen, because I'm never going to play a perfect game, just knowing that everything that we could possibly run, I've done before. And I have so much confidence in that.”

He also trusts in his preparation.

“The preparation that we've had, the preparation that I've had, I'm ready for the game. So when we throw an interception or something like that, it's like, all right, let's just get back to the basics. Not necessarily to the basics, but let's just get back to what we do and just focus on the next play,” Klubnik said. “How can I do the next play? How can I just do my job and not trying to do too much? Just make the routine plays, give to the check-downs, and just not try to do too much?

“Because I think sometimes quarterbacks can make a bad play and get in the habit of, oh crap, I got to make it up, I got to make a big play, have a big scramble, big shot or anything. But that's not what an efficient offense looks like. It's taking the six-yard check down, it's making the right reads, check-down plays, not necessarily all the big shots. So just getting back to the basics, but in the stance of just having people, I feel like I have 134 guys on the sideline right there with me that are encouraging me and that just have my back.”

He said offensive coordinator Garrett Riley is a positive influence and helps him realize he simply needs to move on from bad plays.

“And I think that's what I appreciate most about this team, but also Coach Riley. Just him having my back and that interception was probably the worst play I've ever had at quarterback in my whole life,” Klubnik said. “So just flushing it and just realizing that's not who I am, just getting back to who I am. And I feel like we really had two bad plays the whole game. And other than that, I think we played a freaking great game on offense. If you just go look at the tape, it's never as bad as you think it is, never as good as you think it is.”