Clemson’s loss to Georgia Tech on Saturday left the Tigers with more than a blank in the touchdown column. It also sent Christopher Vizzina to the hospital after a hard finish to a night that asked plenty of him.
Vizzina had been limited in practice for the previous two weeks because of an ankle sprain, but when Clemson needed another answer at quarterback, the preseason starter stepped in and played the final three quarters. He was operating behind an offense that had already stalled under senior Trent Pearman after freshman Tait Reynolds went down with a knee injury, and the Tigers were out of options.
What Vizzina gave Clemson was toughness and a brief spark. He completed 133 passing yards and threw an interception, while also running six times for 18 yards on the injured ankle in an effort to keep plays alive. Clemson still failed to reach the end zone, marking its second straight game without an offensive touchdown.
After the game, Dabo Swinney described what happened to Vizzina in grim terms. The quarterback took a difficult hit after scrambling for six yards and stayed down while Pearman handled the final offensive snap. Swinney said Vizzina went out of the locker room in a stretcher and was sent to the hospital.
“Prayers with him, unbelievable will to win,” he said after the game. “An unbelievable fight from that kid. He came in and gave us a little bit of a spark.”
Swinney also said the concern went beyond the ankle injury Vizzina had already been managing.
“It was more head and neck and body and all that stuff,” he said.
Clemson’s sideline responded to Vizzina’s effort, and the players around him tried to match it. Sophomore receiver Juju Preston, who had the most receptions on the team in the loss, said, “We just went out there, tried to help him,” he said after the game. “We just went out there and gave it his all.”
Vizzina’s night adds another chapter to a season already interrupted by injuries, starting with the fractured elbow he suffered against Georgia Southern. Those setbacks, along with Reynolds’ play this season, have slowed any push for Vizzina to claim the starting job outright.
Now Clemson waits for word on his condition as it turns to Duke. The Tigers travel to Durham this Friday, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
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