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Sep 13, 2026 7:56 PM
Christopher Vizzina’s elbow injury forces Dabo Swinney to start Tait Reynolds against a resurgent North Carolina defense led by Bill Belichick in a must-win home clash.
The Clemson Tigers turned to Tait Reynolds to finish their contest at home against Georgia Southern after Christopher Vizzina suffered an injury on Saturday night.
Vizzina went 4 of 7 passing for 19 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Reynolds went 16 of 27 passing for 178 yards in Clemson's 22-7 win over the Eagles. He added 38 rushing yards.
Before the game, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said he wanted to tinker with both quarterbacks before deciding on a starter for the rest of the season. Vizzina's injury complicated Swinney's decision before the Tigers host North Carolina on Saturday.
Per Pete Nakos of On3, Vizzina will be out for one to two weeks as he recovers from an injury to his non-throwing elbow.
"Clemson quarterback Christopher Vizzina will be out 1-2 weeks with a non-throwing elbow injury, sources tell On3," Nakos posted on X. "Tait Reynolds will start in his place against North Carolina."
During his postgame news conference, Swinney said he liked some of the ability Reynolds showed against the Eagles, but he needs the young quarterback to clean some things up before playing the Tar Heels.
“I think he made a move tonight, I really do,” Swinney said of Reynolds. “He did some gritty things. … He’s just got that ability to erase some mistakes. But he also has got to clean up some things. And CV did some good things, but the interception was just a really bad play. … Those are routine things.
"So, there were some things that he can clean up for sure. But he had three series, that was it. So, just didn’t get much more than that. But again, there was good and bad with Tait, and we’ll watch the tape. I think here’s a lot to build on."
Saturday's game will be crucial for Clemson. The Tar Heels have started the season 2-0, and look much more competent under Bill Belichick than they did last season. Clemson must avoid going 1-2 to start the season.
Reynolds will need to step up against a coach who made a career out of confusing young quarterbacks.
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