James 1:12 states, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast through trials.” This is the Bible verse quarterback Cade Klubnik says he has leaned on recently, and persevering through trials is the story of Clemson football this season.
The Tigers defeated Florida State on Saturday night after coming up short in their two previous home games. Prior to the game, the team gathered and linked arms around the paw at midfield following the Tiger Walk.
Players said it was a time for them to come together and pray for one another as they prepared for the night’s matchup.
“We just kind of took a moment to just realize this is more than football and just really pray for each other,” Klubnik said in his postgame remarks. “I think that a lot of people glorify God when things go well, and we’re here to glorify God when things aren’t necessarily going our way.”
Klubnik’s sentiment was shared by fellow teammates Blake Miller and Wade Woodaz in their postgame remarks. Miller, who made his 50th consecutive start on Saturday, emphasized that the moment to come together was a powerful one.
“I really think that the power of prayer is very strong,” Miller said. “Just to be able to go out, get everyone together, everyone interlocked arms and just kind of feel one another as a team and as a unit, and just be able to give up this moment to God and thank him for the opportunity that we have, and just really pray as a team and be a team. I think that there’s something very powerful about that.”
As for Woodaz, he felt it was important to recognize that some things are bigger than football.
“We all serve a God,” the linebacker said. “We all play for an audience of one. We don’t play for the audience of man. I don’t really care what people think, because that man up there does.”
The power of faith is something head coach Dabo Swinney has often instilled in his players throughout his time at Clemson. During a season such as this one, he believes it is more important than ever for players to be grounded in their faith.
“One of the positives that I think has come from this season is these guys have grown stronger in their faith because their faith’s been challenged,” Swinney said. “A lot of these guys have really leaned on their faith, and I think some of the guys on the team that are really strong in their faith have really had opportunity to pour into some of these other guys.”
It’s not just the players who have had to lean on their faith this season, though. Swinney stressed that he, too, has had his faith battle-tested through the highs and lows of the year.
To illustrate how he has remained faithful, Swinney compared his faith to plugging a charger into a laptop or phone.
“I just stay connected to the good Lord,” he said. “Our batteries get low if we don’t plug in to the good Lord. I just try to plug in. That’s how. That’s the only way.”
Whether the Tigers are standing on the mountaintop of victory or down in the valley of crushing defeat, one thing has remained constant: Clemson keeps the faith, no matter what trials or tribulations it might face.
