Clemson's worst loss of the season has proven to be even more costly. After losing at home to a 2-7 Georgia Tech team 20-6, Clemson has lost its starting quarterback Tait Reynolds for the season, and potentially backup Christopher Vizzina for the Duke game on Friday night. Reynolds suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee on Saturday afternoon. He underwent surgery on Sunday to repair his knee.
As for Vizzina, he had to be taken to the hospital after the Georgia Tech defeat to undergo testing to his head and neck area. Vizzina suffered a concussion on his final play in Saturday's loss to the Yellow Jackets and remains in concussion protocol. Clemson has a short week, as the Tigers will have to travel to Durham to take on a 7-3 Duke Blue Devils team on Friday night to close out their ACC slate.
In the event that Vizzina cannot go, it will likely be third-string quarterback Trent Pearman making his first career start for the Tigers. He initially came in to replace Reynolds in the first quarter, before giving way to Vizzina once he was rendered virtually useless against Vinnie Sunseri's Georgia Tech defense. Clemson was a 10.5-point underdog at Duke prior to the news on its two quarterbacks.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Official from Clemson football: freshman starting QB Tait Reynolds will miss the rest of the season with a meniscus tear. And Christopher Vizzina has a concussion, will be subject to return based on protocol pic.twitter.com/cFmQHr3jwK
— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) November 15, 2026
Tait Reynolds out for the season gives way to Trent Pearman in Week 12
Pearman has been with the program for a while now. He has appeared in 10 games over the last four seasons for the Tigers. On the year, he has completed 10-of-19 passes for 86 yards and two picks. During the Georgia Tech loss, Pearman completed just 2-of-6 passes for six yards before giving way to a hobbled Vizzina, who played on one good ankle. That is not what you are hoping for even one bit.
Because Vizzina has missed so much time this year, the chances of him clearing concussion protocol for the Duke game feel rather slim. Keep in mind that it took him weeks to recover from his elbow injury suffered early on in the Georgia Southern win. Once he recovered from that injury, he messed up his ankle in practice. Vizzina battled his tail off against Georgia Tech, but he was in so much pain.
The most important thing for Clemson heading into Week 12 is for running back Gideon Davidson to be healthy. He has missed the last two games due to an ankle injury as well. While Jarvis Green did a nice job filling in for him in the win over Syracuse, Davidson was clearly missed on Saturday against Georgia Tech. Clemson has three more games left to be played this season because of the bowl.
Right now, the worst offense in the Power Four just got even worse. We thought this was as bad as it could get, but the floor has been lowered. Frankly, Duke can win this game as soon as the Blue Devils hit pay dirt twice. Clemson is not capable of scoring multiple touchdowns in a game on offense. The only way the Tigers win is if Nolan Hauser makes six field-goal tries, and Duke turns the football over.
Fortunately, Pearman will now be getting the most amount of first-team reps he has seen in his life.
Add us as a preferred source on Google