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This comes in from Larry who is on campus today for media availability.
CADE KLUBNIK
Cade Klubnik just visited with the media. A few of the more interesting themes:
*** I asked him how he's going about trying to settle himself and carry his performance and mentality in practices to games.
"I'll just try to play free. Every day in practice I pretend there's 85,000 or 100,000 fans. I try to create a game-like atmosphere and not go through motions. It's the same plays we've been running all week. It's the same stuff."
*** The interception on the throwaway was "probably the worst play I’ve ever had at quarterback in my whole life."
Said he's trying to "get back to who I am."
He said other than two bad plays the offense had "a freaking great game." He thought the OL played a heck of a game.
He was asked what his thought process was on the throwaway.
"I don’t even know what I was doing. I was just trying to throw it away. Probably should’ve thrown it away left."
On the fumbled snap: "Just got to catch it. My eyes went a little bit off off the snap. I've just got to catch it."
*** He was asked about the challenge of tuning out the outside noise.
"It all starts with my faith. I don’t get my approval from man or anybody else.
Who is God telling me that I am? Who am I in His eyes?
"I’m not based off of a football player. I don’t walk into class worrying about being judged or cheered up. I walk into a class knowing I’m a Christian and I love Jesus. I don’t base my identity off that."
*** I asked him what it's like playing in the shadow of two generational quarterbacks who set the bar of performance so high.
"Definitely people have high expectations of the position. But the same people tearing you down one week are going to be the people hyping you up two weeks later."
*** He was asked how he goes about flushing the bad plays.
"Hopefully I don’t have too many bad plays I actually have to flush out. I don’t need to have too much practice with that. When it does happen, I’m not going to have a perfect game. Everything we do I’ve done before. Just get back to the basics."
"Also not trying to do too much. Sometimes QBs make a bad play and then try to make it up. That’s not what an efficient offense looks like.
It’s taking the check-down and not necessarily big shots."
"I feel like I have 134 guys on the sideline who are right there encouraging me and have my back. Also Coach Riley has my back."
*** He said he reached 21.6 miles per hour (!) when he chased down the Duke DB to prevent a TD.
*** He said he was more poised in Game 2 than he was at Duke.
"Did a better job of relaxing back there. Just my composure and sitting in the pocket."
Another interesting bit of self-scrutiny from Klubnik:
"Maybe when we score TD, just act like we’ve been there before. One thing my coach said in high school was you don't need to get too excited when you score the first touchdown. Continue to stay poised and don’t press and take it one drive at a time. We’ve been really good at that these first two games."
KHALIL BARNES
**** Barnes reflected on his decommitment from Wake Forest. Said Mickey Conn was extremely honest with him during the whole process and that made a big difference. Said Conn and Dabo Swinney had full disclosure in saying they were waiting on someone else ahead of him before they'd offer him. Said the final decision wasn't that hard. He said Notre Dame wanted him to play receiver, and Oklahoma told him they'd figure out which position later.
*** He said one thing that resonated with him at Clemson was when he visited and he saw that the players were still having a good time even after a heartbreaking loss to South Carolina.
"It's not all just football talk. The main focus isn't on 'Let's win a football game.' It's 'Let's win at life.'
"That visit showed me football isn't everything."
***Barnes got his first start Saturday with Andrew Mukuba out. He said Mukuba has been extremely helpful to him since he arrived here, including last week in the run-up to the game.
"He never looked at it as 'He’s coming to take my spot.' He just wants to make the team better."
He said Tyler Venables taught him the entire defense this past offseason.
*** I asked him about this freshman class and the energy they seem to have. He said the foundation is how tight they became during the recruiting process.
"Before we even got here, we were ready to be here together. It shows on the field how tight our bond is."
Said when Josh Sapp scored the touchdown Saturday "it's like your brother just scored."
*** He said Peter Woods is a great singer.
"If we weren't in football he could be on American Idol. You'd be shocked."
JEADYN LUKUS
*** He's much more comfortable with the playbook this year than last year. He used moments like the Wake Forest game last year as motivation this past offseason. During winter mat drills, Swinney played a bunch of those embarrassing clips on the video board and that helped push Lukus when he was tired.
*** He didn't know initially Wade Woodaz's touchdown was a pick-6. Thought it was a fumble and Woodaz picked it up off the ground.
He said that crunching PBU was a rare opportunity for him to lay into someone.
"The only time a Cover 2 corner can trigger is on bubbles and screens. Other than that, we are playing coverage. When we get that opportunity it’s fun."
Lukus said the same exact thing happened during the first scrimmage of camp when he pulverized Sage Ennis on a bubble.
"It gave me a shot of confidence. That was definitely big."
*** Found out a couple days before the Duke game that he was starting.
*** Tore the labrum in his right shoulder when he got here. Had surgery. Tore his left early last season and played through it during the season. Had surgery during the spring.
Said he hates having to wear a shoulder brace and he won't be able to shed it until next season at the earliest.
"This season will be the last one with the brace, knock on wood."
Said he's feeling healthy, feeling great.
JUST RELEASED: The new Clemson Nike Zoom Pegasus 40 Running Shoes now in stock at The Tiger Fan Shop HERE!
This comes in from Larry who is on campus today for media availability.
CADE KLUBNIK
Cade Klubnik just visited with the media. A few of the more interesting themes:
*** I asked him how he's going about trying to settle himself and carry his performance and mentality in practices to games.
"I'll just try to play free. Every day in practice I pretend there's 85,000 or 100,000 fans. I try to create a game-like atmosphere and not go through motions. It's the same plays we've been running all week. It's the same stuff."
*** The interception on the throwaway was "probably the worst play I’ve ever had at quarterback in my whole life."
Said he's trying to "get back to who I am."
He said other than two bad plays the offense had "a freaking great game." He thought the OL played a heck of a game.
He was asked what his thought process was on the throwaway.
"I don’t even know what I was doing. I was just trying to throw it away. Probably should’ve thrown it away left."
On the fumbled snap: "Just got to catch it. My eyes went a little bit off off the snap. I've just got to catch it."
*** He was asked about the challenge of tuning out the outside noise.
"It all starts with my faith. I don’t get my approval from man or anybody else.
Who is God telling me that I am? Who am I in His eyes?
"I’m not based off of a football player. I don’t walk into class worrying about being judged or cheered up. I walk into a class knowing I’m a Christian and I love Jesus. I don’t base my identity off that."
*** I asked him what it's like playing in the shadow of two generational quarterbacks who set the bar of performance so high.
"Definitely people have high expectations of the position. But the same people tearing you down one week are going to be the people hyping you up two weeks later."
*** He was asked how he goes about flushing the bad plays.
"Hopefully I don’t have too many bad plays I actually have to flush out. I don’t need to have too much practice with that. When it does happen, I’m not going to have a perfect game. Everything we do I’ve done before. Just get back to the basics."
"Also not trying to do too much. Sometimes QBs make a bad play and then try to make it up. That’s not what an efficient offense looks like.
It’s taking the check-down and not necessarily big shots."
"I feel like I have 134 guys on the sideline who are right there encouraging me and have my back. Also Coach Riley has my back."
*** He said he reached 21.6 miles per hour (!) when he chased down the Duke DB to prevent a TD.
*** He said he was more poised in Game 2 than he was at Duke.
"Did a better job of relaxing back there. Just my composure and sitting in the pocket."
Another interesting bit of self-scrutiny from Klubnik:
"Maybe when we score TD, just act like we’ve been there before. One thing my coach said in high school was you don't need to get too excited when you score the first touchdown. Continue to stay poised and don’t press and take it one drive at a time. We’ve been really good at that these first two games."
KHALIL BARNES
**** Barnes reflected on his decommitment from Wake Forest. Said Mickey Conn was extremely honest with him during the whole process and that made a big difference. Said Conn and Dabo Swinney had full disclosure in saying they were waiting on someone else ahead of him before they'd offer him. Said the final decision wasn't that hard. He said Notre Dame wanted him to play receiver, and Oklahoma told him they'd figure out which position later.
*** He said one thing that resonated with him at Clemson was when he visited and he saw that the players were still having a good time even after a heartbreaking loss to South Carolina.
"It's not all just football talk. The main focus isn't on 'Let's win a football game.' It's 'Let's win at life.'
"That visit showed me football isn't everything."
***Barnes got his first start Saturday with Andrew Mukuba out. He said Mukuba has been extremely helpful to him since he arrived here, including last week in the run-up to the game.
"He never looked at it as 'He’s coming to take my spot.' He just wants to make the team better."
He said Tyler Venables taught him the entire defense this past offseason.
*** I asked him about this freshman class and the energy they seem to have. He said the foundation is how tight they became during the recruiting process.
"Before we even got here, we were ready to be here together. It shows on the field how tight our bond is."
Said when Josh Sapp scored the touchdown Saturday "it's like your brother just scored."
*** He said Peter Woods is a great singer.
"If we weren't in football he could be on American Idol. You'd be shocked."
JEADYN LUKUS
*** He's much more comfortable with the playbook this year than last year. He used moments like the Wake Forest game last year as motivation this past offseason. During winter mat drills, Swinney played a bunch of those embarrassing clips on the video board and that helped push Lukus when he was tired.
*** He didn't know initially Wade Woodaz's touchdown was a pick-6. Thought it was a fumble and Woodaz picked it up off the ground.
He said that crunching PBU was a rare opportunity for him to lay into someone.
"The only time a Cover 2 corner can trigger is on bubbles and screens. Other than that, we are playing coverage. When we get that opportunity it’s fun."
Lukus said the same exact thing happened during the first scrimmage of camp when he pulverized Sage Ennis on a bubble.
"It gave me a shot of confidence. That was definitely big."
*** Found out a couple days before the Duke game that he was starting.
*** Tore the labrum in his right shoulder when he got here. Had surgery. Tore his left early last season and played through it during the season. Had surgery during the spring.
Said he hates having to wear a shoulder brace and he won't be able to shed it until next season at the earliest.
"This season will be the last one with the brace, knock on wood."
Said he's feeling healthy, feeling great.
JUST RELEASED: The new Clemson Nike Zoom Pegasus 40 Running Shoes now in stock at The Tiger Fan Shop HERE!
