Clemson Beats Louisville as Dabo Swinney Explains Cade Klubnik’s Goal-Line Error

Clemson pulled out a tight 20–19 win over Louisville on Friday night, but head coach Dabo Swinney had mixed feelings afterward. Even though the Tigers finally reached a .500 record and kept their bowl hopes alive, the game was full of mistakes—and one of them came from quarterback Cade Klubnik.

Dabo Swinney entered Week 12 trying to stay positive, even with this being one of Clemson’s toughest seasons under his leadership. But the game quickly turned into a roller coaster. “What a game… a bunch of crazy moments,” Swinney said after the win.

One of those crazy moments came at the goal line. Clemson had the ball inches away from scoring, but things fell apart fast. Clemson reporter Chapel Fowler shared that Swinney called the back-to-back fumbles near the goal line a “debacle.”

Then Dabo Swinney explained what went wrong on fourth down. Cade Klubnik was supposed to hand the ball to running back Adam Randall—but instead he tried giving it to fullback Peter Woods. The handoff failed, Louisville grabbed the ball, and the Cardinals turned it into a 19–13 lead with just over 11 minutes left. The pressure in the stadium went way up.

Louisville kept pushing, running for 59 of their 75 yards in that stretch. But Clemson’s defense came up with one huge play—a sack by linebacker Sammy Brown. That stop pushed Louisville back and helped force a missed field goal. “It was big time,” Swinney said. It kept Clemson in the game.

Clemson’s special teams then made the plays needed to seal the win. Dabo Swinney didn’t hesitate to give them full credit: “To me, special teams won this game.”

Cade Klubnik, despite the mistake, had a solid night. He completed 22 of 34 passes for 187 yards. He’s also ranked among the top 30 quarterbacks in the Power 4. ESPN writer Bill Connelly said Klubnik finally looked like himself again in October, even though Clemson’s season has been disappointing.

Cade Klubnik took the win to heart. His numbers have jumped—from a low QBR early in the season to nearly 90 in his last four games. Injuries slowed him down this year, and with his Clemson career ending soon, the emotions hit him hard.

Talking after the game, he admitted it was tough. “It’s probably going to be my last time being teammates with these guys,” Klubnik said. “Two weeks from now, we’ll all be in different places.”

Still, he’s trying to enjoy every moment left. “This win gives us a chance to spend a few more weeks together,” he said. “That’s why it meant so much.”

Clemson has two games remaining—against Furman and South Carolina—and still needs wins to reach a bowl game. For now, the Tigers are just happy to have survived another wild night.

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