COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Both No. 12 Clemson and No. 16 South Carolina had quarterback concerns — big ones — when the season began.
These days, the only question left for the Tigers’ Cade Klubnik and the Gamecocks’ LaNorris Sellers is which of these stellar passers might lead their team to a possible College Football Playoff berth when the rivals meet at Death Valley on Saturday.
Sellers doesn’t spend much time considering what’s ahead for South Carolina (8-3), which has won five straight, including three in a row over ranked opponents.
“As fast as it goes good,” the sophomore said, “it can go bad in a hurry.”
Consider it more of a slow simmer for Sellers and Klubnik, his counterpart at Clemson (9-2).
“We defied the odds and that’s what a championship team is,” Klubnik said.
Not many were discussing Klubnik nor Sellers earlier this season.
Clemson’s quarterback was coming off a truly mixed bag his first year as a starter. He was often off-target, took too many sacks and struggled to balance his desire to make the big play with what the team needed at the moment. The result was a 4-4 start to 2023 that saw the Tigers out of Atlantic Coast Conference contention before November.
Those questions about Klubnik resurfaced when Clemson lost 34-3 at then-No. 1 Georgia to start the season. Klubnik was shaky at best, missing open receivers and throwing a critical interception when the Tigers were still in it.
Since then, Klubnik has been a different quarterback, making winning plays. He’s thrown 29 TD passes the past 10 games and had several eye-popping moments to keep Clemson’s CFP chances alive. Trailing at Pitt 20-17 two games ago, Klubnik broke off for a 50-yard touchdown run through a host of defenders with less than 2 minutes left to lift the Tigers to victory.
“It’s one of those plays you’re always going to remember with Cade Klubnik,” said Garrett Riley, Clemson’s second year offensive coordinator.
Sellers, too, has made special plays at the biggest moments for South Carolina. The redshirt freshman faced a difficult challenge stepping in for starter Spencer Rattler, now an NFL quarterback who led the Gamecocks the previous two seasons.
Sellers, like Klubnik, had issues with turnovers at the wrong time. It didn’t help that he came out of the LSU game in September with ankle injury and watched as the Gamecocks blew a 17-point lead and the game, 36-33, in the final minutes.
A few weeks later, Sellers’ interception sealed the game for Alabama after South Carolina led entering the fourth quarter.
But the light has come on for the 6-foot-3 Sellers of late. He’s had 13 of his 17 touchdown throws and just two of his six interceptions in South Carolina’s five-game win streak. His most masterful performance, though, came against Missouri when he threw five touchdowns and twice led the Gamecocks to go-ahead, fourth-quarter drives after they lost the lead 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 chaos the past couple of weeks that has let Clemson and South Carolina dream about the 12-team playoff.
The Tigers have won nine of their past 10 games and still hold out hope of reaching the ACC title game should No. 8 Miami lose at Syracuse on Saturday. A 10th victory over surging South Carolina could impress CFP committee members filling out the field.
Only three SEC teams have fewer losses than the Gamecocks and beating Clemson would be a fourth straight victory over a ranked team — a factor sure to garner attention from the selectors.
None of it matters if Klubnik or Sellers can’t excel in front of a packed house, 81,000- strong, at Clemson this weekend.
“This is the game that’s got a lot of national implications,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.
And plenty on the line for two quarterbacks seeking a strong finish that will be remembered in the Palmetto State for ages.
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