Clemson clearly felt Cade Klubnik’s absence in its 24-35 loss to SMU. Klubnik missed the game after injuring his ankle against Boston College, ending his streak of 34 straight starts. Still, the Tigers’ offense had a solid anchor to lean on. Backup Christopher Vizzina stepped in, making his first career start. Vizzina for sure exceeded expectations in this game. He completed 29 out of 42 passes for 317 yards and scored three TDs. But even with a great stat line, his lack of experience was clearly visible.

Clemson’s offense struggled to establish balance, particularly on the ground, managing just 35 rushing yards on 30 carries. But with all the mishaps, the post-game media conference raised a lot of Cade Klubnik related questions. And Vizzina answered all of them with grace. “I really appreciate him for just the teammate he is and the person he is,” Vizzina said during the post-game presser. “I know he hates not to be out there, but his leadership still showed.” Vizzina even shared some light about the relationship he has with his starter. 

“Anything I needed all week, he was there for me. And I think that just shows the relationship we have,” Vizzina said. “Because a lot of people might try to turn one quarterback against the other, but it’s never been that way with me and him.” This reflects a very pure relationship between these two QBs. Klubnik has been the Clemson starter for the past two seasons after he took over the role from DJ Uiagalelei. Vizzina could have entered the transfer portal and looked for a starting role elsewhere, but he didn’t. And now Klubnik’s injury gave him the very opportunity he had been waiting for. 

Before the SMU game, reporters spotted Klubnik in shorts with an ankle brace. Vizzina’s only seen action in 12 games over three seasons. He got one snap vs. LSU, ran two drives vs. North Carolina, and finished the Boston College game after Klubnik went down. Vizzina remained a staunch supporter right behind Klubnik at all times.

And even Klubnik did his part from the sidelines during the SMU game, by supporting him and giving him the correct direction. That’s exactly why Dabo Swinney praised Klubnik as a “model dude” who’s “committed in every sense of the word.” Now that’s no small compliment for a starter. And Vizzina was the correct candidate to fill in Klubnik’s shoes, and Swinney agrees to that. “If Cade can’t go, CV’s the guy for sure, and he gotta go get it done,” Swinney said. “We got confidence that he could.”  

Dabo Swinney needs to understand his situation

At this point, Dabo Swinney should really face the reality check he has been running from. There was a time when the Tigers were a college football powerhouse and perennial playoff contender. But now they find themselves stuck in a rut that’s hard to ignore. The Tigers already have three conference losses this season and no playoff hopes left.

But Swinney clings to Clemson’s past glories with a promise that he’ll bring back the championships. In his post-game comments, Swinney was calm, even upbeat, urging his team to “go back to work” and treat this season as another rebuilding chapter. “We have a great year. We have a tough year. We start over and then go back to work,” Swinney said. But all this big talk isn’t really getting reflected in the results.

Clemson’s recent wins have come against lower-tier teams like Citadel and Troy. Meanwhile, SMU sliced through Clemson’s defense, averaging 6 yards per play and putting up a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter to seal the deal. Even Clemson’s offense struggled despite racking up 352 yards. The team couldn’t string together a first down in a row, frustrating fans to the point of boos during the game. But with all this taking place, Swinney put forward a vague promise.

“We’ll win more championships. I promise you that this year… That’s all I can say. And I think we have a track record that demonstrates that.” Even though championship dreams are done for this season, Klubnik might be able to return after the bye week against Duke.