Clemson’s long-awaited quarterback move didn’t make much of a difference in the Orange Bowl.
When DJ Uiagalelei departed for Oregon State and esteemed freshman Cade Klubnik made his first career start, the Tigers moved the ball relatively well but kept failing when they reached Tennessee territory.
Clemson advanced on Tennessee’s side of the 50 in nine of his first 10 rides, but came away by just six points in that span. There was one botched wrong field goal, three missed field goals, mismanagement of the clock in the red zone late in the half, and turnover on downs.
It was ugly all round for Klubnik and the Tigers, and that long list of errors proved costly as Tennessee clinched a 31-14 win — the program’s biggest bowl win since winning the BCS national championship game in 1998.
Tennessee players Jaylen McCollough (left) and Roman Harrison (30) take on Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik at the Orange Bowl on December 30, 2022 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Because Clemson kept stuttering, Tennessee was able to get the ball into the end zone behind Joe Milton’s arm. Milton assisted Hendon Hooker the last two seasons but made his second start after Hooker’s season-ending knee injury.
Milton has a huge arm but has struggled with accuracy throughout his career. In this case, Milton was the best quarterback on the field. He delivered a lot of beautiful deep balls while also fitting shots into tight windows with speed for third down conversions. His touchdown pass to Bru McCoy opened the scoring late in the first quarter.
And in the second half, Milton added two more touchdown passes. One came on in the closing seconds of the third quarter to extend Tennessee’s lead to 21-6. And after Clemson finally scored a touchdown to make it 21-14 at 10:01, Milton responded by finding Ramel Keyton behind defense for a 46-yard touchdown to take a two-point, 28-14 lead walk.
The Milton-to-Keyton connection was an emphatic response from Tennessee when Clemson seemed to have a glimmer of hope. The touchdown came just 1:27 after Clemson made the score 21-14 via a touchdown run from Klubnik. It took the wind out of Clemson’s sails and proved to be the dagger that crowned a great season for Tennessee.
The story goes on
Tennessee’s best season in 20 years
Tennessee had not won a major bowl game since winning the national championship in 1998. And with the Orange Bowl win, Tennessee hit 11 for the first time since 2001.
It was a remarkable reversal for a program mired in scandal just a few years ago. Coach Josh Heupel came in from UCF, installed a fast offense and watched the wins pile up.
Tennessee is 18-8 in Heupel’s two seasons and has won 13 of their last 16 games. UT climbed to No. 1 during the regular season and continued into the College Football Playoffs well into November.
Although Hooker and several other top players will be making the move to the NFL, there’s still plenty of talent making a comeback in 2023. That includes Milton, who will be fighting for the first job with five-star freshman Nico Iamaleava, who is already on campus as an early enroller.
It’s hard not to be optimistic about the future of Tennessee’s program — especially with the playoffs expanding in a few years. Of course, being in the same division as Georgia is a big challenge, but there will be a lot more access to a national championship once the playoff field expands to 12 in 2024.
What’s next for Clemson?
For Clemson, it was a disappointing end to another season of ups and downs. The Tigers struggled offensively in 2021 and saw their six-year ACC championship streak cut short. Despite persistently poor offense performances, Clemson has returned to the top of the ACC this season, but it’s hard not to be amazed at the overall progress of the program.
With the loss, Clemson finished 11-3. Prior to the last two seasons, Clemson had not had consecutive seasons with three or more losses since 2010 and 2011.
Klubnik is just a true newcomer and his level of talent was very evident in Friday night’s game. But the Clemson coaches also put a hell of a lot on his shoulders — and that’s on a big stage at a New Year’s Six Bowl game. Klubnik made 54 pass attempts and 20 rush attempts. He had his moments, but the offense as a whole looked disjointed.
Dabo Swinney appears to have a promising young quarterback in his program, but it’s fair to ask if his entire offensive approach needs a recalibration.