Quinn Ewers vs. Cade Klubnik: The story behind the QBs’ epic 2021 showdown

Riley Dodge understands why everyone is talking about this story because he is too.

In January 2021, Texas high school football powerhouses Southlake Carroll and Austin Westlake met on the biggest stage: the 6A state championship game at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas. It was a high-profile affair for a number of reasons, one of which was that the game was nicknamed the “Dodge Bowl”, marking the first ever father-son matchup in Texas State championship history. Riley, the coach at Southlake, faced his father Todd, the coach at Westlake.

The other main reason? The game was predicted to be a shootout between two elite junior quarterbacks named Quinn Ewers and Cade Klubnik.

Ewers was the no. 1 overall recruit in the country and had already committed to Ohio State; Klubnik was no. 2 quarterback in the state and was uncommitted at the time. The two knew each other, having played in 7-on-7 tournaments around the state since elementary school. Klubnik had the edge, leading Westlake to a 52-34 victory — he would win three state titles from 2019-21, the latter two as a starter.

On Saturday, the quarterbacks meet again – and in the same condition as their last clash – when No. 5 seed Texas (led by Ewers) hosts the no. 12 seed Clemson (led by Klubnik) in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

And this time the stakes are a bit higher than they were almost four years ago.

“It’s crazy,” Riley Dodge told FOX Sports. “I think they’re both so mature and wise beyond their years, and I think they understand that it’s not about Cade and Quinn, but Quinn going against Clemson’s defense and Cade going against Texas’ defense.

“I think it’s a natural thing that everyone wants to talk about. I’m also fascinated by it. But they both have a job to do.”

For Ewers, this is a chance to further cement his status among great Texas quarterbacks. Transferring from Ohio State ahead of the 2022 season, he was the Longhorns’ first top prospect to commit since Vince Young in 2002. He has led the program to back-to-back league championships — Texas won the Big 12 last year and narrowly lost SEC title for Georgia this year — as well as back-to-back CFP appearances.

Klubnik is coming off hot after throwing four touchdown passes in Clemson’s ACC championship victory. This is a chance for him to build on that performance and bring the Tigers another step closer to winning a national title.

And what could be better than doing it in his hometown? Klubnik is from Austin and will have lots of friends and family in the stands. He didn’t grow up a Longhorns fan, instead favoring rival Texas A&M since that’s where most of his family went. But he played high school playoff games in Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and watched a few Texas-Texas A&M games there back then. Running out onto the pitch will be a surreal feeling for him.

“It’s going to be interesting,” Klubnik said of his impending emotions. “It’s going to be special. But you’ve got a job ahead of you, and at the end of the day, all the (friends) that I made on the other side, they want the exact same thing that I do. So you have to separate it. a little bit.

“We have a task at hand and must take care of business.”

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The world was a different place the last time these quarterbacks dueled. First, it was during the peak of COVID, and fan attendance at the 100,000-plus seat AT&T Stadium was limited. “The place would have been packed (otherwise),” Dodge said.

That’s because fans wanted to see Ewers vs. Klubnik, two of the best high school players in the country at the time. Ewers was one of the best known recruits. He sported a bleach blonde mullet and was already committed to play for the Buckeyes. Klubnik didn’t have quite the same resume, but he was a future five-star talent.

Klubnik outplayed his opponent, going 18-of-20 for 220 yards and a touchdown with 97 rushing yards and two more scores.

You would never have known he hadn’t thrown a single pass in practice all week leading up to the game because he was dealing with a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder. He hurt it the previous week and remembers going to halftime of the semifinal thinking he broke his collarbone because he had never felt that kind of pain.

“We won and I came home and my brother said, ‘Great game!’ and nailed me in the shoulder,” Klubnik said. “I couldn’t even raise my arm (the next day) and I’m like, ‘How am I going to play in a state championship game this week?'”

He made it work. In practice, Klubnik sat behind his backup and took visual reps and went through the motions.

“When we got to Saturday, I got fired up and got it out and went and played,” Klubnik said. “I just battled through it and I think that’s just the team that we were and the type of player that I am. I’m not going to let an injury stop me from playing.”

Ewers struggled with his own injuries – which has also been a recurring theme throughout much of his career in Texas. He missed part of the season and needed double hernia surgery. He didn’t return until the third round of the playoffs, and then he got beat up during Southlake’s semifinal. Like Klubnik, Ewers didn’t throw all week leading up to the championship, but he passed for 351 yards and three touchdowns in the loss.

“I think what I learned a lot about the kid during the playoffs, coming back healthy, was his mental and physical toughness,” Dodge said. “To want to get on the field himself, he’s such a gamer.”

Westlake led 28-21 at halftime, but the pitch quickly changed when Michael Taaffe — now a starting safety at Texas — intercepted Ewers in the third quarter. Taaffe finished the game with two interceptions and was named Defensive MVP.

Taaffe, a former walk-on, has transformed himself into an indispensable part of the Longhorns’ top-rated pass defense. He said he’s given Ewers “a little bit of crap” about those picks since they became college teammates.

“You have to, don’t you?” Taaffe said with a laugh. “It felt pretty good that just a walk-on is going to pick the No. 1 player in the country.”

Meanwhile, Taaffe and Klubnik have known each other since the third grade. They spent the 2020 COVID season throwing the ball around and running routes. “We had nothing to do but become best friends because we were trying to win a state championship,” Taaffe said. So of course when the final CFP bracket came out they sent a text.

“It was all love,” Taaffe said. “‘Love you dude, love you too.’ It feels a little weird watching Cade on tape knowing he was my QB and now I’m playing against him, it’s going to be so much fun.

However, Taaffe does not think that his relationship with Klubnik will be the big advantage. He probably knows Klubnik’s tendencies, but Klubnik also knows his.

“Cade does everything to try to win, he’ll do whatever it takes,” Taaffe said, noting that his friend is “the most competitive player I’ve ever played with,” whether it’s in a pickleball game or a football match.

“I don’t think there’s going to be much slipping out of Cade on Saturday,” Taaffe added. “There’s probably not going to be much stepping out of bounds, especially if he sees (me). He’ll definitely lower his shoulder on me and he’ll tell me about it, too.”

And there’s more to this rematch: Clemson starting safety RJ Mickens went to Southlake with Ewers, while Texas defensive ends Ethan Burke and Colton Vasek, offensive lineman Conner Robertson and wide receiver Bryce Chambers are all Westlake alumni.

“It’s definitely good to have them on our side,” Ewers said. “They wreaked havoc on us in high school.”

Reflecting on the 2020 matchup, Klubnik remembers “a lot of talk, a lot of noise similar to (this week).” He is looking forward to seeing all his former teammates and going up against Ewers again. The QBs have grown closer over the years, competing in the Elite 11 in 2021 and attending the Manning Passing Academy last summer. If they wanted to, they could commiserate with what it’s like to face Georgia’s suffocating defense, as both Texas and Clemson lost to the Bulldogs this season.

Ewers said facing Klubnik a second time will be a “full circle” moment, and Klubnik is “excited to just go up against him.”

“I know they have a lot of respect for each other,” Dodge said.

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She has previously written for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in the spring of 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman.

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