CLEMSON – Cade Klubnik has answered the same season-opening press-conference questions three years in a row.
Each season as Clemson’s starting quarterback, he has left the locker room after a season-opening loss, sat under bright camera lights, and faced the inevitable:
“What happened?”
After a 28-7 defeat to Duke in 2023 — a game marred by two fumbles and the breakout of future NFL quarterback Riley Leonard — Klubnik’s response was blunt.
“We lost to Clemson,” the then-sophomore said, stressing the need to “flush it” and move on.
That season, the Tigers stumbled to a 4-4 start, undone by turnovers, inconsistency, and poor cohesion.