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

Riley Dodge understands why everybody 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 of Dallas. It was a high profile affair for a number of reasons, one being the game was nicknamed the "Dodge Bowl," marking the first-ever father-son matchup in Texas state championship history. Riley, the coach at Southlake, was facing his father Todd, the coach at Westlake.

The other major reason? The game was projected 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 the 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 middle school. Klubnik had the edge and led Westlake to a 52-34 victory — he'd win three state titles from 2019-21, the latter two as the starter.

On Saturday, the quarterbacks meet again — and in the same state as their last clash — when No. 5 seed Texas (led by Ewers) hosts 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 nearly four years ago.

"It's crazy," Riley Dodge told FOX Sports. "I think both of them are so mature and wise beyond their years and I think they understand 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 everybody wants to talk about. I'm intrigued by it as well. But they've both got a job to get done."

For Ewers, this is a chance to further cement his status among great Texas quarterbacks. When he transferred from Ohio State ahead of the 2022 season, he was the Longhorns' first No. 1 overall prospect to commit since Vince Young in 2002. He's led the program to consecutive league championship games — Texas won the Big 12 last year and narrowly lost the SEC title to Georgia this year — as well as back-to-back CFP appearances.

Klubnik is coming in hot after throwing four touchdown passes in Clemson's ACC championship game win. 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 plenty of friends and family in the stands. He didn't grow up a Longhorns fan, favoring rival Texas A&M instead, since that's where most of his family went. But he played high school playoff games in Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and saw a few Texas-Texas A&M games there back in the day. Running out on the field will be a surreal feeling for him.

"It will be interesting," Klubnik said of his impending emotions. "It will be special. But you got a job in front of you and at the end of the day, all the [friends] that I got on the other side, they want the exact same thing I do. So you gotta separate that a little bit.

"We've got a task at hand and gotta go take care of business."

***

The world was a different place the last time these quarterbacks dueled. For one, 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 that time. Ewers was one of the best-known recruits. He had a bleached blond mullet and was already committed to playing for the Buckeyes. Klubnik didn't have quite the same résumé, but he was a future five-star talent.

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

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

"We won, and I got home and my brother was like, ‘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 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.

"By the time we got to Saturday, I got shot up and gritted it out and went and played," Klubnik said. "I just fought through it and I think that's just the team that we were and the kind of player I am. I'm not gonna let an injury stop me from playing."

Ewers was battling his own injuries — which has been a continuing theme much of his career at Texas, too. He missed a chunk of the season and needed double hernia surgery. He didn't return until the third round of the playoffs, and then got banged 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 throughout the playoff run when he got back healthy was his mental and physical toughness," Dodge said. "To will himself to get on the field, he's such a gamer."

Westlake led 28-21 at halftime, but the trajectory changed quickly 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 turned 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've got to, right?" Taaffe said with a chuckle. "It felt pretty good that just a walk-on is picking off the No. 1 player in the country."

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

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

Taaffe doesn't think his relationship with Klubnik will be much of an advantage, though. Sure, he knows Klubnik's tendencies, but Klubnik also knows his.

"Cade does everything to try to win, he's going to do whatever it takes," Taaffe said, noting his friend is "the most competitive player I've ever played with," be it in a pickleball match or a football game.

"I don't assume there's going to be a lot of sliding out of Cade come Saturday," Taaffe added. "There's probably not going to be a lot of stepping out of bounds, especially if he sees [me]. He's definitely going to lower his shoulder on me, and he's going to tell me about it, too."

And there's more to this rematch: Clemson starting safety R.J. 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 alums.

"It's definitely good to have them on our side," Ewers said. "They wreaked havoc against us in high school."

When Klubnik reflects on the 2020 showdown, he remembers "a lot of talk, a lot of noise similar to [this week]." He's looking forward to seeing all of 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 going to the Manning Passing Academy this past summer. If they wanted, they could commiserate on 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 dap him up." 

"I know they have a ton of respect for each other," Dodge said.

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

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