The Clemson Tigers surely didn’t plan on playing three quarterbacks in the first half of their Saturday clash with Georgia Tech.
But after Tait Reynolds started, they also got Trent Pearman and Christopher Vizzina into the game, with injuries playing a big part in their sequence of QB decisions against the Yellow Jackets.
It’s the kind of situation that won’t make life any easier for head coach Dabo Swinney.
Here’s what you need to know.
Tait Reynolds Injury Update
Reynolds was injured on the third play of the opening drive of Saturday’s game.
He scrambled up the middle and slid at the end of a 7-yard gain, and he appeared to get hurt on the slide.
Reynolds went to the locker room. When he returned, he had a brace on his left knee. He didn’t have his helmet, suggesting he wouldn’t be coming back into the game.
Why Trent Pearman Came in at QB
The Tigers’ usual backup is Christopher Vizzina, but he didn’t play after Reynolds got hurt.
The QB3 Trent Pearman was in the game.
Vizzina is dealing with a lingering ankle injury, and so Clemson didn’t want to use him if they didn’t have to.
Why Christopher Vizzina is Playing Now
Clemson didn’t stick with Pearman for long, though. Vizzina came in before the first half was over.
Clearly, Clemson felt like they needed to keep their chances alive, and that it’d go better with Vizzina.
In his final year of college football (most likely), Vizzina doesn’t have much to lose. He wants to give Clemson a chance to win.
Pearman was just 2-for-6 for six yards while running four times for negative-3 yards (with sacks counting as negative yardage in college football).
Clearly, Clemson’s offense wasn’t going to move the ball with Pearman. And while Vizzina didn’t have a lot of success earlier this season, Clemson felt that he was their better option with Reynolds out of the game and seeming unlikely to return.
Why Clemson Playing 3 QBs After Tait Reynolds Injury With Vizzina, Pearman Updates