Georgia Tech defensive coordinator has faced Klubnik, Clemson before
Less than nine months ago, Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Blake Gideon stood on the opposite sideline from Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik.
On Dec. 21 in Austin, Texas, Gideon and the Texas Longhorns hosted Clemson in the first round of the College Football Playoff. As the associate head coach for defense, Gideon and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski were charged with putting together a game plan to try to stop Klubnik and the Tigers offense.
Texas got a 38-24 win in that matchup, but Klubnik threw for 336 yards on 26-of-43 passing and connected on three touchdown throws. An interception in the second quarter was the result of a tipped ball at the line of scrimmage.
Much of Klubnik’s statistical damage came in the second half of a game that read 28-10 at halftime. Playing in his hometown, Klubnik was 12 of 19 passing for 102 yards, connected on a 22-yard touchdown pass less than seven minutes in to give Clemson the lead, had the one interception and was sacked twice in the first two quarters.
Of course, little of that will matter at noon Saturday when Klubnik and No. 12 Clemson (1-1) come to Bobby Dodd Stadium, where Gideon is now wearing white and gold. And Tech coach Brent Key downplayed the Clemson-Texas matchup in December for Gideon, in his first season with the Yellow Jackets, as giving any extra insight into how Tech will defend the Tigers.
“No. It’s a different year. Different players,” Key said Thursday. “We didn’t play ‘em last year, but played ‘em for, what, I played ‘em for 7, 8 years prior to that. No one year has an impact on the next. Not at all.”
Gideon’s defense is off to a solid start, although the sample size is much too small to formulate any concrete determination as to how good the group is overall.
The Jackets gave up more than 300 yards of offense in each of the first two games, against Colorado and Gardner-Webb, respectively. Those totals have different contexts, as holding the Buffaloes to 305 on the road could be deemed as a success, and 194 of Gardner-Webb’s 336 yards came in the second half of a game that was out of hand.
Tech also has 20 tackles for loss already and registered six sacks against Gardner-Webb. And where it counts, the Jackets have allowed only 32 points, the fewest over two games since giving up 24 in the first two games of the 2016 season.
Now the Jackets hope — and expect — to build on those performances as they grow with Gideon over the next 10 games.
“I feel like we have a great system, to my belief. I feel like me and my players were already comfortable in it,” Tech cornerback Jy Gilmore said Wednesday of Gideon’s scheme. “Getting game reps, there’s nothing more valuable than game reps, and the camaraderie that you can get from that. But feel like it’s a great system overall.”
Clemson comes to Bobby Dodd Stadium having not exactly set the world on fire on offense. The Tigers are no less dangerous, however.
Klubnik is still considered a top NFL prospect in the 2026 draft class, and wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. leads a dangerous and talented group of wideouts. The Tigers have rushed for only 151 yards in two games, but senior Adam Randall runs behind an offensive line that had three preseason all-ACC selections.
Saturday’s challenge undoubtedly will be the biggest yet for Gideon.
“The thing about BG (Gideon), he brings big-game experience. He brings big-program experience. He’s been with a lot of really good coaches, and his mentors are really good defensive coaches,” Key said Wednesday on ESPN Radio. “His overall knowledge of the game, his knowledge of situational football, the way he teaches — but the best quality he has is the way he relates to players, especially on the back end. Blake relates to the players and gets them to do things.
“We’re a work in progress. We know that. We’re all chasing perfection in every game. That’s something we strive for every game. We’re gonna get better and better. We’re gonna take our lumps, I get it. We all know that. But at the end of the day, if we get off the field when we need to get off the field and score one more point than them — if that happens everyone’s done their job.”
About the Author
