Both No. 12 Clemson and No. 16 South Carolina had big quarterback questions when the season started.
But now, the only question remaining for Clemson’s Cade Klubnik and South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers is which of these talented quarterbacks will lead their team to a possible College Football Playoff berth when the two teams meet at Death Valley on Saturday.
Sellers doesn’t spend too much time thinking about what’s ahead for South Carolina (8-3), which has won five straight, including three wins against ranked teams.
“As fast as it goes good,” the sophomore said, “it can go bad in a hurry.”
For Sellers and Klubnik, his counterpart at Clemson (9-2), things have been more of a slow build.
“We defied the odds and that’s what a championship team is,” Klubnik said.
Earlier this season, not many were talking about Klubnik or Sellers. Clemson’s quarterback had a mixed first year as a starter. He was often off-target, took too many sacks, and struggled to balance his desire to make big plays with what the team needed in the moment. This led to a 4-4 start in 2023 and the Tigers were out of contention for the Atlantic Coast Conference title by November.
The questions about Klubnik came up again when Clemson lost 34-3 to No. 1 Georgia to start the season. Klubnik was shaky, missing open receivers and throwing a critical interception when the Tigers were still in the game.
But since then, Klubnik has been a different quarterback, making big plays. He’s thrown 29 touchdown passes in the last 10 games and had several key moments to keep Clemson’s CFP hopes alive. In a game against Pitt, with Clemson trailing 20-17, Klubnik ran for a 50-yard touchdown with less than two minutes left to win the game.
“It’s one of those plays you’re always going to remember with Cade Klubnik,” said Garrett Riley, Clemson’s offensive coordinator.
Sellers, too, has made important plays for South Carolina. The redshirt freshman had a tough job stepping in for Spencer Rattler, the now NFL quarterback who led the Gamecocks for the past two years.
Like Klubnik, Sellers had issues with turnovers at bad times. He injured his ankle in the LSU game in September, and the Gamecocks blew a 17-point lead and lost 36-33. A few weeks later, Sellers’ interception sealed the loss to Alabama after South Carolina had led entering the fourth quarter.
But Sellers has really improved lately. He’s thrown 13 of his 17 touchdown passes and just two of his six interceptions during South Carolina’s five-game winning streak. His best performance came against Missouri, where he threw five touchdowns and led the Gamecocks to go-ahead scores in the fourth quarter in a 34-30 win.
“I always like saying he never gets rattled because it reminds me of Spencer Rattler,” South Carolina coach Shane Beamer joked. “But (Sellers) never gets rattled.”
There’s been plenty of college football chaos recently, giving both Clemson and South Carolina hopes for the 12-team playoff.
The Tigers have won nine of their last 10 games and still have a chance to make it to the ACC title game if No. 8 Miami loses to Syracuse on Saturday. A 10th win over a strong South Carolina team could impress CFP committee members.
South Carolina, with only three SEC teams having fewer losses, is looking to secure a fourth straight win over a ranked team, which would certainly draw attention from the playoff selectors.
But none of this matters if Klubnik or Sellers can’t perform in front of a packed crowd of 81,000 fans at Clemson this weekend.
“This is the game that’s got a lot of national implications,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.
There’s a lot at stake for both quarterbacks who hope to finish strong and create lasting memories in the Palmetto State.
