Clemson left Baton Rouge with a quarterback problem that is still wide open.
After a 51-10 loss to LSU on Sept. 5, coach Dabo Swinney still has not named a starter for the Tigers’ next game against Georgia Southern on Sept. 12 at 7:30 p.m. on ACC Network. For now, Christopher Vizzina and Tait Reynolds remain the two names in the mix, and neither did enough in the opener to separate himself.
“I don't know,” Swinney said when asked who would start Clemson's next game. “We've got to watch the tape ... evaluate and go from there.”
Vizzina got the first shot after Swinney named him the starter on Sept. 1.
The veteran backup, who spent two years behind Cade Klubnik and then worked this offseason under Tajh Boyd, entered the season with the edge in experience and the trust that comes from sticking around. But his night went sideways fast.
He finished 10 of 16 for 83 yards and threw the play that swung the game hard in LSU’s favor: a first-quarter pick-six. On Clemson’s third drive, with pressure coming from LSU linebacker Whit Weeks, Vizzina fired over the middle and Jordan Ross stepped in front of it. Ross, who had dropped back from the defensive line into coverage, returned the interception 30 yards for a touchdown.
That score pushed LSU to a 17-3 lead and, as Swinney put it, “The pick-six was a game-changer,” and “Kind of killed the (momentum) big time.”
Clemson actually opened with a brief jolt of life. Ashton Hampton intercepted a pass on LSU’s second play after a Malik Ezly drop, and the Tigers followed that with a field goal. But that was about as good as it got early.
“The start of the game was great for us, but we just couldn't truly capitalize on it,” Vizzina said. “You look at first downs for us (eight compared to LSU's 38).
We just never capitalized and never got any momentum. They killed us in that category, and we're not helping our defense at all.”
Reynolds entered with 1:10 left in the second quarter for his college debut, but the freshman couldn’t give Clemson the spark it needed. He finished with 22 passing yards, and the dual-threat upside that made him such a highly regarded recruit never really had room to show itself. Clemson’s offensive line didn’t make things any easier.
Still, Swinney said it mattered to get Reynolds some live action.
“It was good to be able to get him in there ... let him get hit a little bit,” Swinney said. “Wish it had been different circumstances.”
Vizzina came back in with 10:43 left and guided Clemson to its only touchdown of the night, then finished out the game in a loss that marked the most lopsided defeat of Swinney’s nearly two decades in charge.
That leaves Clemson right back where it started: with no clear answer at quarterback.
Swinney had said on Sept. 1, “We have to continue the competition” at quarterback. After what happened against LSU, he may not have any other choice.
“They're also giving us an opportunity to kind of bounce back here,” Reynolds said. “Learn some lessons very soon.”
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Clemson had warned LSU that putting the players on the field could run afoul of contract terms, and LSU still has room to add them later in the season if it chooses. For now, the situation leaves one more unresolved subplot around a game that already carries plenty of attention, especially with both players having previously played for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss. [Read more 🡒]