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Why Clemson football QB Cade Klubnik never imagined he would face SMU in ACC Championship Game
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- Why Clemson football QB Cade Klubnik never imagined he would face SMU in ACC Championship Game
CLEMSON — If anyone would have told Clemson football quarterback Cade Klubnik that the Tigers would face SMU in the ACC championship prior to this season, he would have been stunned.
The Mustangs were a staple of the American Athletic Conference during Klubnik's adolescence in Austin, Texas. But No. 7 SMU (11-1) joined the ACC with Cal and Stanford this season and made the conference title game. It will face the No. 17 Tigers (9-2) in the ACC championship on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, ABC) in Charlotte at Bank of America Stadium. The winner will earn an automatic bid to the 12-team CFP and a possible first-round bye.
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"That was definitely something I probably wouldn't have envisioned in my time coming to Clemson," Klubnik said Wednesday.
This new reality will bring familiar faces to Klubnik. SMU coach Rhett Lashlee recruited Klubnik, who was one of the top quarterback prospects in the country in 2020, when Lashlee was Miami's offensive coordinator. Lashlee said Sunday he has respect for Klubnik, his skill set and growth and would have loved to coach him.
"I liked Cade back then for what you see him doing right now," Lashlee said. "He can really throw the football. He could hurt you with his legs, but I just liked the intangibles he had as a leader, as a winner."
Klubnik has evolved as a quarterback in his second full season as a starter. He has recorded 3,041 yards passing and 29 touchdowns, tied for fourth most in FBS, and five interceptions. He is Clemson's second-leading rusher, too, with 437 yards and seven touchdowns.
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The ACC championship will feature two Texas quarterbacks with Klubnik facing SMU's Kevin Jennings, who attended South Oak Cliff High School (Dallas). Both won their respective state championships in their senior years.
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Klubnik also will be reacquainted with his former high school teammate, SMU fourth-year running back Zane Minors. Both attended Westlake High School and won two state championships together.
Klubnik thought he would never face Minors because Clemson and SMU weren't scheduled to face each other this season. Now they will face each other in the ACC championship with a trip to the College Football Playoff on the line, thanks to Syracuse upsetting Miami last week .
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"God has opened another door for us, and that's really exciting," Klubnik said, "Coach (Dabo) Swinney said, 'God can open the door, but we still gotta walk through it,' so time to walk through it, and hopefully run through that door this time."
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson football: Cade Klubnik will play against familiar faces vs SMU
