CLEMSON, S.C., -- If a consensus down year for Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers included 10 wins and a bowl victory, the Tigers don't have much room for error if they want to move back into the national spotlight in 2022.
It's been made clear from day one of spring practice that Swinney and the Tigers simply want to improve daily and, as they always have, avoid outside noise. The opus of a new season's beginning and avoiding the outside has always been the spring game.
To make it more exciting for the Tiger faithful, spring's conclusion amalgamates into quarterbacks Cade Klubnik and returning starter DJ Uiagalelei duking it out in the annual Orange and White Spring Game.
Uiagalelei vs Klubnik was what everyone showed up excited to see with a fair turnout on hand at Memorial Stadium in Clemson; Klubnik's first game appearance garnered one of the afternoon's largest applause. Ultimately, the White outlasted the Orange, winning 15-7 in a defense-dominated afternoon.
The Quarterback Duel
Uiagalelei got the opportunity to strike first, with the team's best healthy running back suiting up alongside him for the Orange in Phil Mafah, and the first throws from No. 5 were a little more of the same: Inaccuracy and quite a few three and outs with flashes to Joseph Ngata occasionally. Ngata was the only wide receiver to catch a pass from Uiagalelei until late in the second quarter.
Klubnik was decisive but also earned three and outs himself in the first half with both defenses playing well. Klubnik showed some elusiveness rolling outside of the pocket as well as the ability to complete throws on the run as he was pressured often by the Orange defense led by returning defensive ends, Myles Murphy and Xavier Thomas.
Arguably Uiagalelei's best pass of the half was called back by Swinney himself; No. 5 threw a perfect fade for Joseph Ngata in the back-right corner of the end zone for a completion, only to be reversed because of what Swinney thought was a sack. Uiagalelei responded how you'd like to see, two plays later he found Hampton Earle for 23 yards and Mafah punched it into the endzone for the game's first touchdown two plays after.
The entirety of the first half saw the two much-debated quarterbacks battle against the other, with Uiagalelei edging his freshman competition slightly going into halftime up 7-3.
The third quarter saw two drives each for backup quarterbacks Hunter Helms and Billy Wiles, who both led field-goal drives in the third and fourth quarters, respectively.
Klubnik and Uiagalelei entered the game at the end of the third and after the White were forced to punt, and Uiagalelei threw an interception to safety Sherrod Covill Jr. on his first pass returning in the second half. Klubnik and the White team scored very early into the fourth quarter, which had a running clock at this point, and in his last drive with a chance to respond after a turnover, Uiagalelei completed two short passes and couldn't get it done on fourth down with another incompletion.
Uiagalelei finished 47% on the day passing with 17-36, 175 yards, and an interception with Klubnik finishing 65% passing on 15-23, 106 yards, and one touchdown.
This was the biggest talking point of the spring, and it has been since Klubnik first committed to Clemson from Westlake High School in Texas. Could he overthrow the chosen successor to Trevor Lawrence? Hesitant as I was during spring practice to say so, the foundation is there for Klubnik to make it happen. He's accurate and decisive. Uiagalelei showed numerous times his inaccuracy could still flare up while also flashing some bright spots, which by itself is the definition of inconsistent.
The book isn't written on Uiagalelei by any means, but there's certainly a freshman nipping at his heels. The conversation surrounding the two and Uiagalelei's job security is only going to heat up as we move into summer and fall camp after the performances on the field today.
Defense Poised to Carry Offense Amidst Indentity Crisis, Again
There were always more questions to be answered on this roster aside from quarterback heading into this spring game, most just chose to ignore it.
The Tigers lost five starters, three of whom were sixth-year COVID-eligible seniors and anchors of this defense on the field, and off of it. Replacing not just the production of aforementioned linebackers James Skalski and Baylon Spector, but the communication provided on Saturdays will be impossible just one year after their departure.
Their fellow sixth-year mate, safety Nolan Turner, is on the same level, although the Tigers are well poised to respond strongly from his absence at safety.
The Tigers return Lannden Zanders, Tyler Venables, R.J. Mickens, Jayln Phillips, and Andrew Mukuba, all of whom saw playing time last year, and have a freshman joining them named Sherrod Covill Jr. who made perhaps the spring game's biggest play after earning the interception on Uiagalelei that put White in a position to take the lead.
Clemson has plenty of talent at linebacker to replace their departing, but a lot of unproven talent who will be required to see massive minutes this season. Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Trenton Simpson, LaVonta Bentley, Kevin Swint, and Sergio Allen are all guys who've seen enough impactful playing time to serve the Tigers well in 2022, and they played extremely well today, in coverage and against the run all forcing incompletions on Uiagalelei and his receivers at least once.
The crown jewel of Clemson's defense heading into 2022 proved why they deserved that title today, too. The defensive line was elite for all four quarters despite endless rotations and a seemingly six-deep defensive end room. When defensive tackle Bryan returns from his torn ACL to play alongside Senior Tyler Davis once again, this unit only looks to get scarier.
Replacing Andrew Booth Jr. at cornerback may be the Tigers' toughest task but multiple showed they were prepared for the challenge today. Freshman Toriano Pride was all over the field and saw massive playing time, and sophomore Nate Wiggins, who Swinney raved about in 2021 spring practice, has only improved. Clemson will rely heavily on Malcolm Greene in Booth Jr.'s absence, but he wasn't available to play in the spring game.
This unit will get stops and put Clemson in positions to win all season, and they did all afternoon in the Orange and White game, for both offenses. It's on new offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter to put a winning product out on the other side of the ball with Tony Elliott moving on to Virginia.
Spring Game Enough to Show Tigers Are Better Than Last Year?
Ultimately: No.
Swinney may give Uiagalelei his time as he did Kelly Bryant when Trevor Lawrence stepped on campus, but Clemson has to figure out which quarterback gives them the best chance to win. There's never going to be enough play in a spring game to decide that outright; fall camp still looms. Live, in-game reps are needed from Klubnik. The chance to see a defense who constantly wants to knock his head off. Uiagalelei looked elite his first two summers and falls, enough so to earn him a preseason top-five Heisman favorite last preseason, but once he had to endure the starting quarterback's grind week in, week out he wasn't what everyone expected right away.
And maybe Cade Klubnik isn't, either.
But that has to be decided, potentially in a different fashion than Bryant and Lawrence, because Clemson can't afford any early season slip ups to be better than last year.
The defense is still good enough to win now, and for the first time in a long time, it's the offense's turn to play catch-up with the other side of the ball multiple seasons in a row.