Cade Klubnik’s ACC title performance adds a ‘what if’ to Clemson football season

CHARLOTTE — Dabo Swinney made a call to Cade Klubnik last Sunday and explained to his true freshman quarterback how he planned to use him during the upcoming ACC championship game against North Carolina.

Klubnik would enter Saturday’s contest in the third series, regardless of the play of starter DJ Uiagalelei, “no matter what,” the Clemson coach said postgame.

From the time he replaced the sputtering Uiagalelei, Klubnik was electric, engineering three straight touchdown drives on his way to an MVP performance during the Tigers’ 39-10 dominating win. He started the game with 10 straight completions and finished 20 of 24 for 279 yards with a pair of touchdowns. Heck, he even led the team in rushing.

WATCH:Clemson football's Nate Wiggins pick-six in ACC Championship Game

ORANGE OUT:Clemson football could face Tennessee in Orange Bowl

FUTURE OF THE ACC:Clemson's Cade Klubnik vs UNC's Drake Maye is the future of ACC football

Swinney now must wonder if he should’ve made that call sooner — a week earlier to be exact. Uiagalelei didn’t have what it took to win in last week’s 31-30 loss to rival South Carolina, a defeat that single-handedly ended a 40-game home win streak and buried Clemson’s chances of making the College Football Playoff. Struggles have been synonymous with Uiagalelei's quarterback tenure, but Swinney has always been his greatest defender.

“I got a lot of regrets from the South Carolina game,” Swinney said. “But DJ is not why we lost. But, you know, hindsight is always 20/20. There are a lot of things we wish we could’ve done over.”

Salvation may have been sitting on the sideline, even if he won’t admit it.

Klubnik, a former five-star recruit from Texas, may not have shined in his opportunities this season, but they were, at best, limited. He threw one pass, an interception, in a 35-14 loss to Notre Dame. He threw a season-high five passes against Louisiana Tech. He did convert an impressive two-point conversion during a comeback win against Syracuse.

But as Swinney noted after the freshman’s performance against UNC, Klubnik has never lost a game as a starter: winning three state titles in high school and entering Clemson with the highest of expectations. Swinney only has himself to blame for not trusting a proven winner.

Last week’s loss was made worse by how the college football Red Sea seemed to part for Clemson this week. The Tigers had been ranked No. 8 in the CFP rankings and would’ve jumped LSU, Alabama and maybe even Ohio State with a win. USC’s loss to Utah in the Pac-12 championship, it seems, would’ve allowed them to slip into the CFP for the sixth time.

Instead, Swinney found himself settling for a seventh ACC title in eight years. That's an acceptable prize for most, but a reminder of failed expectations for Clemson.

“It’s all about what is next for us,” Swinney said.

 What’s next is the Orange Bowl. What’s next is Klubnik’s first career start, which Swinney confirmed early Sunday morning. What’s left is the question that will loom over the rest of this season.

What if?