Clemson fell in the Orange Bowl to the Tennessee Volunteers,

Here are our 3 takeaways from a hard-fought Orange Bowl.

1st-half struggles doomed the Tigers

The Tigers had a 1st-half to forget.

The usually-reliable 5th-year senior K BT Potter went just 1-of-4 on FG tries. Cade Klubnik was unable to lead the Tigers into the endzone and looked uncomfortable. Clemson kept calling designed QB runs, and they seldom worked.

The Volunteers had several killer penalties, but the Tigers were unable to take advantage. Going into halftime against Tennessee down 2 scores is usually a bad situation to be in.

The Vols’ offense was not the dynamic unit that it was earlier in the season, but the unit is still efficient and capable of scoring in an instant. Struggling in the 1st half was a bad sign.

Klubnik will improve

Having your 1st career start at the Orange Bowl is a tough situation for a young QB to be in.

Klubnik had his freshman moments, but he also showed glimpses of his enormous potential. Klubnik completed passes to 8 different receivers and finished with over 300 passing yards. The QB’s accuracy left much to be desired, but that could improve with time.

Klubnik did throw 2 INTs, with 1 coming on the final drive of the game for the Tigers. Klubnik successfully drove the team to the red zone, before throwing an INT on the goal line. These are typical freshman mistakes that should improve.

Klubnik finished 30-of-54 for 320 yards, 0 TDs, and 2 INTs. Former QB DJ Uiagalelei only eclipsed 320 yards passing once in 2022.

Freshmen played big roles 

The Tigers received contributions from several true freshmen in the Orange Bowl defeat to Tennessee.

Cole Turner started things off with an impressive jumping catch on the sidelines in the 1st quarter. Turner would go on to catch 4 passes for 51 yards. Antonio Williams, another true freshman WR, also had a strong night finishing with 3 catches for 41 yards. Williams led the Tigers in receiving in 2022.

Toriano Pride Jr., another true freshman, contributed 4 tackles in the loss. Pride had 17 tackles and 1 INT in the regular season.

And of course, Cade Klubnik. Klubnik threw for 320 yards in his 1st career start, but was not able to find the end zone through the air. He did rush for one touchdown.

These freshmen getting significant playing time in the Orange Bowl could be a hint of things to come for 2023.