Though Texas and Clemson have never played against each other, their quarterbacks have. Now, Texas has one goal for the first round of the College Football Playoff: spoil Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik’s homecoming.
In 2020 and 2021, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and his Southlake Carroll Dragons faced off against Klubnik’s Westlake Chaparrals in the UIL State Championship game. Both times, Westlake emerged victorious.
Ewers and Klubnik were not the only ones on either side involved in the games, as juniors defensive back Michael Taaffe and edge rusher Ethan Burke were members of Westlake’s team. In 2020, Taaffe was the game’s defensive MVP after he picked off Ewers with a one-handed interception to seal the game for the Chapparalls.
Not only is the game a homecoming for Klubnik, but it’s also a reunion for Texas senior defensive back Andrew Mukuba. A three-year starter at Clemson, Mukuba decided to return to his hometown of Austin for his final year of college football. During the selection show when it was announced that Texas would be playing Clemson, the Longhorns exploded. Players have taken it upon themselves to give the game an even bigger meaning, donning it ‘The Mukuba Bowl’ in honor of their teammate.
“When our name first popped up with the five seed, everybody was excited about that,” head coach Steve Sarkisian said. “When it came back around and we were going to be playing Clemson, I think the guys were excited about that (because) they started screaming, ‘It’s the Mukuba Bowl.’”
Mukuba knowing the opposing team’s quarterback and coach is a major advantage for Texas, as it won’t have to go far to find things that won’t show up on film. Mukuba and Taaffe, two of Texas’ star defensive backs have played with Klubnik and, though friends, will be wanting to spoil his homecoming.
Clemson has the big task of coming into Texas’ turf — the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. While it has been reported that the College Football Playoff will control most of the in-game production, Texas will still have its home-field advantage and crowd.
“We’re going to need 105,000 strong a week from Saturday, three o’clock against Clemson, inaugural college football playoff game in round one,” Sarkisian said. “That’s the beauty of this new format, (fans) get a home game. We’re looking forward to seeing everybody there as we build towards it and appreciate all that they do in supporting us.”
With two weeks between the Southeastern Conference Championship game, Sarkisian is prioritizing his team’s recovery. Star players Kelvin Banks and Isaiah Bond are both dealing with ankle injuries and Texas will need to be at full strength to beat Clemson.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has been one of the premier coaches in College Football for the past few years, and though these past two seasons have not been his best, he has won two national championships with the Tigers. He knows how to put together an elite team, but most importantly, knows how to win big games. Sarkisian and Swinney are also close friends and go way back.
“We originally met at a high school basketball game in Alabama, when we were both assistants, I was an assistant at USC, and he was actually an assistant at that time at Clemson,” Sarkisian said. “That seems like an eternity ago, but he’s done a great job, I think that he modernized a lot of the coaching philosophies that a lot of us use today.”
To spoil Klubnik’s homecoming, Texas will need to be healthy and prepared to play the full 60 minutes, as Clemson is a team that is capable of taking any game down to the wire.