“He Got Flustered”: Dabo Swinney Has Public Outcry Over Cade Klubnik as He Flat-Out Disputes Clemson QB’s Plea

Dabo Swinney’s season-opening 17-10 loss to LSU felt heavier than the one-score margin suggested. The Tigers reached the red zone twice and came away with two field goals, finishing 0-for-3 on third-and-long in the fourth quarter. Cade Klubnik completed 19-of-38 passes for 230 yards and an interception, while the ground game stalled at 31 yards on 20 carries. LSU, meanwhile, relied on a balanced attack and a late 75-yard touchdown march to seal it. For a Clemson offense that returned eight starters, the sputtering debut was a jolt.

Clemson HC Dabo Swinney openly critiqued QB Cade Klubnik’s response to LSU’s pressure: “For some reason, he got flustered. He scrambled out of the pocket when he didn’t need to… We just didn’t do a good job of executing our plan going into the game.” LSU rushed five on just 14 of 46 Clemson drop-backs yet generated 17 quarterback pressures and limited Klubnik to 2-for-7 passing when he broke contain. Several throws sailed high after unnecessary escape attempts, which ultimately led to Clemson’s downfall in the game.

Swinney also expressed dissatisfaction with Clemson’s inability to cope with LSU’s pressure, despite the Tigers showing little to no tactical surprises.“Very little disguise,” he said. “They lined up and did what they did … four down, five-man pressure team … We had a lot there, we really did not execute well, if you know what you’re looking at. That’s the disappointing part.” Statistically, LSU’s fronts were textbook: they showed two-deep shells on 79 percent of snaps and rotated late just six times, per Pro Football Focus charting. Yet Clemson’s veteran line allowed two sacks and 10 hits, and Klubnik’s average time to throw ballooned to 3.24 seconds, a full half-second longer than his 2024 average. Swinney’s disappointment lies in those fundamentals: protections called correctly but carried out a beat slow.

The storyline grew more complicated when Klubnik offered a contrasting view in the post-game press conference. He said, “They disguised their stuff a little bit more than we’re used to… compared to what our defense does, it wasn’t nearly as much.” His perception shows a disconnect. If the quarterback believed he was seeing exotic looks, while his coach insists, “very little disguise” communication between the press box, sideline, and huddle clearly broke down. Swinney doubled down Monday: “Our best players have to show up and take care of the basics. The most basic things.” The tenor was unmistakable: expectations were missed, not schemes misread.

Clemson won’t have long to sort it out. A tune-up versus Troy looms Saturday, but Week 3 brings an ACC trip to Georgia Tech, followed by Syracuse and North Carolina in consecutive weeks. Offensive coordinator Garrett Riley must restore rhythm quickly, because another flat start could derail playoff aspirations before October. If Klubnik and Swinney can align their read of opposing defenses, and if the offensive line trims the mental errors, Clemson still owns the talent to rebound. But as Swinney’s post-game tone made clear, the clock is already ticking in Tiger Town.

Swinney, Klubnik offer conflicting reads on critical snaps

Cade Klubnik offered a very different read in his post-game presser. Recalling the same “four-verts” concept, he said LSU jumped into a zero-hole look: “The boundary safety took away our crosser … the field safety took away our bender, so I just figured I needed to make a play and get into scramble mode.” In short, the quarterback saw bracket coverage closing passing windows he expected to be open, prompting an instinctive escape. Both Swinney and Klubnik offer different perspectives on the same play.

The two explanations show a wider disconnect. Swinney’s comment implies the route broke free for six; Klubnik’s description paints a picture of safeties squeezing inside seams and forcing him off-script. Whichever view proves truer on film, the mismatch in real-time diagnoses is telling. Until Clemson’s play-caller and senior quarterback see the same picture, and trust it, stalled drives like the one that ended at LSU’s 34-yard line will continue to haunt an offense built to finish, not flinch.