CFB
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David Hale, ESPN Group of workers WriterNov 9, 2024, 11:30 PM ET
- School soccer reporter.
- Joined ESPN in 2012.
- Graduate of the University of Delaware.
There used to be a time, no longer all that long previously, when staring at your accepted mark intended planting yourself to your sofa at some predetermined time; when hitching a scuttle with an complete stranger riding a 1993 Honda Civic with an industrial-power air freshener putting the build aside the rearview replicate ancient to be would’ve gave the affect awful; when paying $36 for a man to teach you a pork-and-cheese burrito and a forty eight-ounce Mountain Dew Baja Blast used to be microscopic better than some madman’s fever dream.
But happily, times have modified. Courageous geniuses have disrupted the marketplace, leveled sacred institutions, upended our expectations of what our lives may moreover be.
And so it is that the age of the disruptors has plan for varsity soccer, too.
There may be Lane Kiffin, who has been thumbing his nostril on the powers-that-be, ruffling feathers and breaking the machine since a time after we didn’t name folks treasure him “disruptors.” Kiffin has forced his formulation into basically the most sacred corridors of power over time, but he has carried out it as noteworthy thru trolling coaches on social media as he has by indubitably beating them. But on Saturday, Kiffin’s Ole Leave out crew killed one amongst the final right giants of the worn guard, turning in a withering defensive efficiency that bruised, battered and confounded Georgia in a 28-10 Rebels accumulate.
There may be Deion Sanders, so on the total viewed as a sideshow to the staid worn guard who believed, treasure fools, that you just needed to head away your place of enterprise to recruit and wanted five functional offensive linemen to speed an offense. Coach Prime has taken the hollowed-out husk of a program and, in no longer up to two seasons, constructed Colorado into a sound playoff contender, one which held off Texas Tech 41-27 on Saturday to contemplate a repeat region in the crowded Mountainous 12.
There may be Curt Cignetti, misplaced sight of for years as microscopic better than an FCS coach who has received just a few games, a adorable fable no longer frequently noteworthy of manning the Mountainous Ten sidelines traversed by legends treasure Tim Beckman, Chris Ash or Darrell Hazell. In Week 11, Cignetti’s Indiana moved to 10-0, thwarting defending champion Michigan 20-15.
Kiffin, Prime, Cignetti — they’re no longer speculated to be right here. For 2 a long time, from Urban Meyer to Slash Saban to Kirby Dapper, the blueprint for achievement at this level used to be obvious. Coaches who received did it the worn-fashioned formulation, ruling with an iron fist, refusing to present an hump in the quest for greatness, tormenting Jimbo Fisher for laughs. Even the few divergences from that blueprint no longer no longer up to had the roots of their DNA in a classical formulation to crew constructing, be it Dabo Swinney’s rah-rah optimism or Jim Harbaugh’s investment in a squirrelly underling carrying a fraudulent mustache to rob signals.
But these guys are exhibiting us a brand new route forward.
Kiffin has invested in the switch portal treasure a tech bro making an strive to search out crypto, stocking a as soon as ability-bereft roster of upstarts with enough stars that Saturday’s accumulate over Georgia barely registers as an upset. Ole Leave out has been as explosive as anybody in college soccer this year, attach a loss to Kentucky that we’re now pretty obvious used to be handsome one thing we dreamed after eating some expired ham. Should restful we be stunned that Jaxson Slump out-dueled a flailing Carson Beck, who has been handing out interceptions treasure Oprah giving freely vehicles? Is it a shock that the Ole Leave out protection contained Georgia’s high ability gamers treasure Money Jones, Dillon Bell and Lawson Luckie? Georgia’s depth chart reads treasure the solid of a teen drama. Within the period in-between, Kiffin’s running wildcat alongside with his 325-pound defensive lineman handsome because he can.
Kiffin’s disruptive affect on Ole Leave out has been so profound that the Rebels’ college students have even modified the game for goal-post elimination.
They obtained every of them https://t.co/JmMxUkGqIM
— Oxford Police Dept (@OxfordPolice) November 10, 2024
If Kiffin is the OG of disruptors, on the alternative hand, Coach Prime is running the game on the unique time.
When he arrived in Boulder, the premise regarded easy: Sanders would coach his two boys, be the heart of consideration at all turns, and if he received just a few games, the total greater. When Oregon‘s Dan Lanning lambasted Colorado as a crew taking part in for clicks in preference to wins final year, it felt treasure an acceptable measure of Prime’s priorities. And yet, right here are the Buffs at 7-2, a mercenary community of transfers who other coaches pushed aside as chasing NIL but who’ve emerged as arguably basically the most up to this level crew in the country.
Shedeur Sanders threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns in the accumulate over Texas Tech Crimson Raiders, whereas Travis Hunter caught 9 balls for ninety 9 yards and a touchdown, all alongside with his pants loaded down by tortillas.
— FOX School Football (@CFBONFOX) November 9, 2024
Never mind that Colorado has microscopic curiosity in running the soccer. Attach Coach Prime, his son and Hunter on a self-discipline, unfold the ball spherical to a deep solid of receivers, and supply to repost a clip of the officiating crew’s aspect mission as a barbershop quartet in exchange for just a few snug calls, and the recipe comes out completely. And speaking of very most realistic recipes, strive grilling a pleasant carne asada and pairing it with pickled onions and some fresh tortillas from Hunter’s pants.
And per chance no person has carried out the impossible greater than Cignetti. From 2021 thru 2023, Michigan used to be 26-1 in Mountainous Ten play. In that same time frame, Indiana used to be 3-24 against Mountainous Ten competition.
But because Cignetti cares no longer about precedent, the Hoosiers had been a 14.5-level accepted Saturday, and whereas they didn’t duvet, they did shuffle away with a 10-0 chronicle, the first 10-accumulate season in college historical previous. Kurtis Rourke threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns and the protection held Michigan to handsome 206 yards in the game, the protection had eight cross breakups, and the Hoosiers made Michigan explore fully misplaced (which, to be handsome, is now not any longer unique for Michigan this year).
Indiana is now in region to reach the Mountainous Ten title game and, likely a playoff tell, despite ending 3-9 final year, starting a QB who transferred from the MAC and a head coach that brought a handful of starters from a Sun Belt crew, which begs the inquire of of why Mountainous Ten soccer appears so laborious for Lincoln Riley.
It be right, if truth be told, that shipping apps no longer frequently flip a profit, and the largest disruptors are also on the total megalomaniacs who are extra fashion than substance, so per chance it be restful pretty early to laud the conquests of college soccer’s new money.
But that is the inform takeaway from these disruptors — in Week 11, in 2024. Issues we didn’t dream of handsome just a few months previously — a 10-0 Indiana, a playoff-certain Colorado, an Ole Leave out crew in a position to turning in a doubtlessly lethal dagger to Georgia — don’t appear to be handsome conceivable. They’re reality.
Who knows what comes subsequent? The destiny of a college soccer season, which for so noteworthy of the previous two a long time felt fully predictable, now has myriad loose threads, dozens of doable realities, endless alternatives for us to peer one thing indubitably new and modern and quite loads of.
Bounce to:
Down goes Miami | Ewers hunts Gators
Oregon handles exchange | Gamecocks roll another time | Vibe shifts
Spectacular turnarounds | Heisman five | Below the radar
Down goes Miami
In a rematch of ultimate year’s depressing loss to Georgia Tech, the clock in a roundabout diagram ran out on Miami’s undefeated season. The Canes fumbled their formulation thru the first three quarters, and the closing 28-23 defeat must’ve felt treasure taking a knee to the gut.
Kneel to your King 👑 🐝 #StingEm pic.twitter.com/aVGsXqAUJz
— Georgia Tech (@GeorgiaTech) November 9, 2024
It be the 2nd year in a row Georgia Tech has delivered a dagger to Miami, and another time, this year’s game turned on a slack fumble when the Canes had been simply searching to achieve too noteworthy. On this case, Cam Ward engineered one amongst his patented scrambles, hoping for one thing to begin downfield, handiest to be caught from in the again of by Jordan van den Berg, coughing up the soccer down five with handsome 1:32 to play. Haynes King then transformed a slack third down, allowing Georgia Tech to kneel out the clock. Miami’s Mario Cristobal, obvious that must be against the foundations, challenged the play, but the officers assured him it is completely acceptable to take a knee to manufacture determined a accumulate.
Georgia Tech followers then stormed the self-discipline and tore down every goalposts, in a roundabout diagram dumping them into the water, which is assorted from how this many engineers in most cases have an very ideal time a expansive victory — with nachos at Dave & Busters earlier than getting again to the place of enterprise to code for a whereas.
— The Crowded Booth (@thecrowdedbooth) November 9, 2024
Miami had made a behavior of falling in the again of expansive this season, but because Ward is a Jedi and the ACC overview heart is restful the utilization of a 17-hump Zenith with a bunny ear antenna, the Canes had been persistently ready to flee pains and emerge with a accumulate. That luck ran out against the Yellow Jackets, who ran for 271 yards despite the proven truth that their high three running backs had been out with injuries, and chewed up enough clock to withhold Ward sidelined for long stretches. The maligned Miami D simply couldn’t earn off the self-discipline — the Jackets had been 9-of-14 on third down — and Ward and the offense couldn’t keep it up the self-discipline (1-of-4 on fourth-down tries).
Georgia Tech, on the alternative hand, has made a behavior of spoiling seasons for appropriate teams. Since Brent Key turned head coach earlier than Week 5 in 2022, he’s 6-5 against AP-ranked foes, basically the most such wins by any ACC coach in that span (and better than all but 9 coaches nationally), all whereas Georgia Tech used to be unranked.
Ewers hunts Gators
Texas QB Quinn Ewers placed on a sanatorium in a 49-17 accumulate over Florida on Saturday, throwing for 333 yards and five touchdowns and giving the crowd what it indubitably wanted — a fourth quarter that contains Arch Manning.
Ewers had his simplest game of the season, averaging greater than 12 yards per throw, whereas the Horns’ ground game rumbled for 210 yards and virtually 7 per touch.
For the Gators, it used to be a unsuitable efficiency that comes handsome days after head coach Billy Napier used to be given assurances he’d return in 2025, forcing AD Scott Stricklin to amend his previous enhance by adding, “Wait, no, you didn’t allow us to achieve. What we had been searching to notify used to be Billy shall be returning … his place of enterprise keys, firm automobile and that reproduction of Tom Petty’s ‘Most racy Hits’ I loaned him,” and certainly the job search begins shortly.
Ducks continue march to Mountainous Ten title game
Since slumbering thru the first two weeks of the season, Oregon has since change into an unrelenting machine tasked handiest with turning in misery.
On Saturday, the Ducks demolished Maryland 39-18, as Dillon Gabriel threw three touchdowns and the D scored three takeaways in the accumulate. Oregon is now 7-0 in Mountainous Ten play, inserting the Ducks one-quarter of the fashion to Maryland’s complete Mountainous Ten wins since becoming a member of the convention in 2014.
Oregon’s final agenda entails a time out to Wisconsin and a dwelling game with worn Pac-12 rival Washington. Neither figure to be noteworthy of an obstacle between the Ducks and their long, mad march toward a convention title. The larger inquire of may very neatly be whether this is in a position to per chance very neatly be Indiana as the final crew standing in their formulation or if Ohio Shriek will earn a rematch after shedding by a level final month in Eugene.
Gamecocks roll another time
Every man has that one buddy who exists simply as an agent of chaos. He doubtlessly stole a police automobile in college, brought fireworks to your youngster’s baptism and as soon as referred to a hand grenade as “fishing equipment.” He’s the initiating force between five of your funniest reviews and a dozen of your saddest.
In college soccer, this role is now being played by Shane Beamer.
South Carolina has no certifiable identity in 2024 previous simply wrecking issues. A week, Beamer’s crew is treasure letting a community of beavers loose in a Hobby Lobby. You invent no longer have any notion what’s going to happen, but it completely’s certain to be racy. One week the Gamecocks are getting trounced by Ole Leave out. The next, they’re taking Alabama to the wire. The next, they’re upending a high-10 Texas A&M. And on Saturday, they went to Nashville, turned the first program in college soccer to manufacture Diego Pavia unhappy, and walked away with a 28-7 accumulate over Vanderbilt.
Is LaNorris Sellers a appropriate quarterback? Who cares? Go rushers bounce off him treasure he’s carrying a form of inflatable sumo wrestler suits. So what if the Gamecocks have handiest one staunch playmaker on the ability positions. “Rocket” Sanders racked up 178 yards and three touchdowns against Vandy, and as soon as you acknowledged he also recorded a country version of “Sandstorm” later on to have an very ideal time the accumulate, that’d be fully believable. And the Gamecocks’ protection is so ridiculously tense, Hugh Freeze sent it a “thanks” mark for searching to persuade Pavia no longer to plan again again to college soccer for one other year.
South Carolina is bowl eligible now, which completely diagram some unlucky crew goes to lose the ReliaQuest Bowl after coughing up four safeties and a 98-yard touchdown speed by Sellers wherein he steamrolls all 11 defenders and two hot-canine distributors en path to the cease zone.
South Carolina will not be realistic, is palpably awful, and is though-provoking to aquire Jager shots for all people who reveals up to its Week 14 showdown with Clemson. It be a thing of beauty.
Week 11 vibe take a look at
A week, expansive upsets and horrible results reshuffle the discontinue 25, but there are extra subtle adjustments in the college soccer panorama that we monitor right here.
Trending down: Cyclones’ Mountainous 12 title hopes
Two weeks previously, Iowa Shriek used to be undefeated and lingering at some level of the discontinue 10. Now, the Cyclones’ Mountainous 12 hopes are on life enhance, their affirm in the discontinue 25 is probably going doomed and besides they’ve slipped into Texas’ worn role as the Mountainous 12 accepted who handsome misplaced to a contaminated Kansas crew. Someplace, Charlie Stable is nodding approvingly.
Kansas earned accumulate No. 3 on the season with a Forty five-36 accumulate over the Cyclones in Week 11 in the again of 116 yards and two touchdowns by Devin Neal. Kansas led 38-13 slack in the third quarter, but Rocco Becht led a aroused comeback strive, ending with 383 passing yards and three touchdowns, despite the proven truth that it used to be too microscopic, too slack.
The Jayhawks, who opened the season in the discontinue 25, started the year 1-5, with four losses by six aspects or much less, but they’ve now received two of three — a two-level loss to Kansas Shriek in between — and earn a crack on the discontinue two teams in the convention (BYU in Week 12, Colorado in Week 13) with a chance to be the closing spoiler.
Trending down: More than one drives in a quarter
Army obtained QB Bryson Day after day again from hurt for Week 11, and the offense responded by turning in basically the most undeniably very most realistic force of the season.
Up 7-3 midway thru the third quarter over North Texas, Army drove 94 yards on 21 plays — 12 of which went for 4 yards or much less — that lasted a valuable 13 minutes, 54 seconds. In conjunction with a time out and a penalty, enough time passed earlier than the Knights cashed in the force for a touchdown that the gamers on the self-discipline for the complete lot of the force indubitably fulfilled their stuffed with life responsibility requirements, and Day after day used to be promoted to master sergeant after changing a Third-and-3 early in the fourth quarter.
Baily finished with 36 carries for 153 yards and two touchdowns in the accumulate. For the game, Army held the ball for 41:Forty five, and most of North Texas’ offense left early to rob some BBQ.
Trending down: Gundy apologies
Closing week, Oklahoma Shriek coach Mike Gundy apologized for calling followers “former” amid criticism of a winless season in Mountainous 12 play.
Unfortunately, scuttling that controversy with a sincerely worded apology inspired by a fortune cookie he had as soon as read wasn’t enough to flip the Pokes’ fortunes on the self-discipline. TCU stormed Oklahoma Shriek 38-13, shedding the Cowboys to 0-7 in Mountainous 12 play.
Trending up: Landing files
Jeremiah Smith caught six balls for 87 yards in Ohio Shriek’s Forty five-0 accumulate over Purdue, alongside side a 17-yard touchdown that situation the Buckeyes’ TD chronicle for novices, topping Cris Carter (and all he did, in step with Buddy Ryan, used to be get dangle of touchdowns).
— Mountainous Ten Community (@BigTenNetwork) November 9, 2024
The Buckeyes had been dominant, throwing for 260 yards, speeding for 173, keeping Purdue to 206 complete yards and nabbing two takeaways. Will Howard threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a fourth in the accumulate.
The Boilermakers tumble to 1-8 and zero-6 in Mountainous Ten play, and it be the fourth time this season they’ve misplaced by no longer no longer up to 35 aspects. Within the playoff know-how, the splendid other teams with four 35-level losses in their first 9 games of the year are 2019 Rutgers and three assorted Kansas teams (2015, 2016, 2020). The final time a crew misplaced five games in a season by no longer no longer up to 35 aspects used to be 2022 Colorado, so the lesson right here is evident. All Purdue needs to achieve is hire Deion Sanders, flip over two-thirds of its roster, signal Travis Hunter and — inform — the Boilers shall be above common by 2026.
Trending down: Running the ball
Cal QB Fernando Mendoza accomplished 30 passes in Saturday’s accumulate against Wake Woodland — in the first half! That is better than 95 assorted teams have accomplished in a tubby game this year. Mendoza finished 40-of-56 for 385 yards and two touchdowns in the 46-36 Bears accumulate, taking ideal thing in regards to the proven truth that Wake Woodland’s cross protection is indubitably handsome two scarecrows in the cease zone and a sternly worded e-mail insisting the alternative crew discontinue throwing so noteworthy.
Trending up: Maalik Magic
Duke is now 7-3 after knocking off NC Shriek 29-19 on Saturday in the again of 245 passing yards and three complete touchdowns from QB Maalik Murphy.
The Blue Devils received despite mustering handsome 31 yards on the ground thanks in broad allotment to 1 other dominant defensive efficiency by Manny Diaz’s crew. Duke held the Wolfpack to handsome 268 yards of offense, forced two turnovers, recorded a safety and stifled NC Shriek in the crimson zone, the build aside six drives interior Duke’s 20 resulted in a touchdown, four self-discipline targets and a overlooked kick.
After the game, Duke college students illustrious by learning for the first time that soccer season used to be restful happening even supposing Cooper Flagg had already started taking part in.
Don’t explore now, but …
Ethical because a crew ends September riding an grotesque shedding slump with a highlight tape scored to “Yakety Sax” does not imply it be incapable of ending on a high mark (unless that crew is Florida Shriek). Indeed, a alternative of colleges we wrote off after a rough starting up have engineered spectacular turnarounds as we head into the season’s final stretch.
After a 1-5 starting up to the season wherein the Bruins didn’t crack 17 aspects in any game, DeShaun Foster’s crew embraced its new Mountainous Ten identity and realized how you would accumulate without an staunch offense. On Friday, UCLA pulled out Brian Ferentz’s worn playbook to upend Iowa 20-17 in a game that integrated six turnovers, a 57-yard self-discipline goal and a season-low speeding tally from Kaleb Johnson (49 yards on 18 carries). After winning 19 games whereas scoring 20 or much less in the four-crew playoff know-how, Iowa is now 0-4 when failing to crack 20 this year. The Hawkeyes are treasure when Eddie Murphy determined in the mid-’80s he used to be going to be a singer, too, and commenced doing movies with Rick James and hasn’t been virtually as silly since. Never neglect what obtained you to the discontinue, Iowa.
UCLA, in the period in-between, has now received three straight, all against Mountainous Ten teams that entered their matchup with a winning chronicle. It be the first time in no longer no longer up to two decades that a crew with a shedding chronicle earlier than every contest beat three straight Energy 5 opponents with a winning chronicle.
Maybe no instructing job has been much less favored than what Bronco Mendenhall has managed with the Lobos. Mendenhall needed to entirely rebuild a roster that added 43 new scholarship gamers — alongside side 17 after spring ball — and misplaced its first four games of the year, alongside side the opener to FCS Montana Shriek. But Sleek Mexico has turned a corner and has now received four of six after upending San Diego Shriek 21-16 on Friday night in the again of 173 yards and two touchdowns from Eli Sanders. The Lobos are restful likely a long shot for a bowl tell, but for a program that hasn’t received better than four games in a year since 2016, anything else that doesn’t involve the quarterback taking part in alongside with his hand caught in a Pringles can feels treasure a broad step forward.
Rich Rodriguez’s crew opened the year 0-3 but has reeled off six straight victories, alongside side a rollicking 44-37 time beyond regulation accumulate against Louisiana Tech on Saturday.
Tre Stewart ran for 166 yards and two touchdowns, Cam Vaughn caught seven passes for 130 yards and two scores, and the Gamecocks moved to 5-0 in Conference USA.
Rodriguez is now 15-6 since JSU moved up to FBS, alongside side an 11-2 mark in convention play. Within the period in-between, Michigan handsome texted him with a “Good day, U Up?” mark and is though-provoking to point out per chance it used to be as noteworthy accountable for his or her breakup as Rich Rod used to be.
Closing year’s MAC champions opened the year 1-4, with their lone accumulate coming against lowly UMass by 3. However the RedHawks figured issues out, and besides they’ve now received four straight, alongside side a 27-21 victory over Ball Shriek on Tuesday. Miami is another time tied atop the MAC (4-1 in convention play), which is enough to warrant overlooking the sluggish starting up and the proven truth that its mascot is the utilization of an umbrella and a poncho to keep a long way from getting moist.
— no context college soccer (@nocontextcfb) November 6, 2024
In equity, the though-provoking worn man who sold Miami the RedHawk costume did warn them no longer to earn it moist or feed it after nighttime. Western Kentucky disregarded that advice, and now snipers with tranquilizer weapons must visual display unit Mountainous Crimson at all times.
Heisman five
It be largely a four-man bustle, despite the proven truth that Jaxson Slump, Jalen Milroe and Quinn Ewers may very neatly be making a slack speed at issues. Composed, no longer noteworthy modified in Week 11 in our rankings.
1. Boise Shriek RB Ashton Jeanty
Within the previous two weeks, Jeanty used to be held to handsome 91 yards on 30 carries without a touchdown in the first halves of games, thanks in broad allotment to defenses inserting 26 defenders in the sphere. This week, Jeanty discovered his groove another time, speeding for 93 yards and a touchdown on Boise Shriek’s first two drives. Jeanty finished with 34 carries for 209 yards and three scores. It used to be his fourth 200-yard speeding efficiency of the season and his fifth three-touchdown game. Jeanty wants handsome 266 yards on the ground the leisure of the season to crack 2,000 on the year. Assuming Boise Shriek plays for a Mountain West championship and a bowl or playoff game, he would must common 179 yards per game the leisure of the fashion to high Barry Sanders’ single-season chronicle.
2. Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter
Hunter caught 9 balls for ninety 9 yards, alongside side a nifty touchdown speed on a huge receiver display, whereas also helping stifle the Texas Tech cross game and running a microscopic Mexican restaurant in his pants. Next week, he’ll be aiming to high 100 receiving yards and whereas making a pleasant paella in his helmet.
The Canes’ protection in a roundabout diagram worth Miami a game, as Georgia Tech dominated the clock and ran for 271 yards. Composed, Miami had a chance to build up, but for as soon as, Ward’s magic wore off, and he fumbled deep in his have territory, allowing the Yellow Jackets to real the game. Composed, Ward used to be solid, throwing for 348 yards and three touchdowns, but as many QBs earlier than him have eminent, there is never any quantity of magic that can overcome Miami doing Miami issues.
4. Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel
Gabriel handiest averaged 5.3 yards-per-cross and yet he restful threw for 3 TDs in a blowout accumulate. Gabriel is clearly positioned neatly to manufacture a speed on the Heisman, but the Mountainous Ten doesn’t appear to be offering him enough of a say to indubitably pad out the stats. He ought to be ready to head play just a few sequence for Oklahoma another time after he finishes his games, handsome to manufacture it pretty extra handsome.
5. Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke
Rourke threw two TD passes in Saturday’s accumulate over Michigan, and by diagram of 11 weeks, he’s 2nd in the country in Total QBR (88.6), fourth in completion percentage (71.8%) and he’s one amongst handsome two QBs (alongside with Slump) averaging a predominant down per throw. He also can be asserted himself as basically the most a success QB in Indiana program historical previous, passing the previous title holder, a coat rack with a Hoosiers jersey putting on it.
Below-the-radar play of the week
Sooner than Saturday, Cade Klubnik‘s elusiveness had been restricted to increasing with increasingly extra lame excuses for why he couldn’t manufacture it to Dabo Swinney’s weekly “Gray’s Anatomy” peek events. But against Virginia Tech, Klubnik took it to the next level.
‘What a time to be alive!’ Clemson’s Cade Klubnik works magic for a TD cross
Cade Klubnik makes a convincing 41-yard touchdown cross to T.J. Moore as Clemson takes the lead over Virginia Tech in the third quarter.
Klubnik finished the game with 241 complete yards and three touchdowns as Clemson upended Virginia Tech 24-14, but unless he can persuade Swinney that he’s the lead in his theater troupe’s reimagining of “Cats” that night, he’s on the hook to teach a casserole for this week’s episode and can check with his coach as “Swinney McDreamy” for the length of the night.