“Cade Klubnik competed his bu*t off”: Dabo Swinney opens up on if Clemson considered benching QB during disastrous loss vs. Fran Brown's Syracuse

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney revealed he didn't consider benching quarterback Cade Klubnik for redshirt sophomore Christopher Vizzina during the team's disastrous 34-21 loss to Syracuse on Saturday.

Swinney addressed the situation on Monday, insisting that Klubnik did a great job in calling the plays for the Tigers, but their comeback fell short as they were behind 20 going into the fourth quarter.

“We didn’t. I thought Cade competed his bu*t off,” Swinney said. “And, you know, he certainly missed a couple plays, but he made some good ones too. Made a lot of good ones. I thought he was good in the first half. Just couldn’t really get the ball and … no, I did not. We did not think about that.”

Klubnik actually played well for Clemson, completing 37 of 60 passes for 363 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. But the Tigers' defense allowed 34 points in the first three quarters, making it hard for their offense to orchestrate a rally.

The quarterback only produced with one successful scoring drive — a nine-yard touchdown pass to Bryant Wesco Jr that reduced the deficit to 34-21 at the 9:00 mark.

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Dabo Swinney's Clemson in must-win situation to fight for ACC, CFP berths

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney acknowledged the Tigers' current situation following their bad start in the 2025 season.

They are now forced to win all of their remaining games to have a chance of fighting for the ACC Championship and the College Football Playoffs.

Swinney remained optimistic that his team could string together victories to keep their hopes alive.

The veteran coach revealed that he considered facing weaker opponents on its 2025 season schedule to boost Clemson's record, but he went against it to test his team's competitive nature.

“They give you eight (more games) for a reason, but we’ve got no room for error,” Swinney said. “We’re uphill and the wind is at our face, for sure. Hey, we gotta go do it the hard way. Not going to be able to do it the easy way, but we’re not out. As long as we stay together and keep competing, anything can happen. The good news is, we’ve got a good team."

Clemson will have less than two weeks to recover from injuries and other body ailments their players suffered in the first four weeks. They'll be back in action on Oct. 4 against the Bill Belichick-coached North Carolina (2-2) at Kenan Stadium.