Things are not always what they seem.
This theme has followed Clemson all season, and it showed up again Saturday.
It showed in the preseason when expectations for this team felt misplaced.
It showed up with Cade Klubnik and the conversations surrounding his development.
And it showed again when Christopher Vizzina stepped under center against SMU.
The bar couldn’t have been much lower. Clemson went from an 11.5-point favorite to just 4.5 by kickoff. Las Vegas thought Vizzina was worth a full touchdown less than Klubnik. Most fans probably figured the result might be worse.
But it wasn’t worse — at least not because of him.
Vizzina’s final line was 29 of 42 for 317 yards and three touchdowns. Those numbers don’t tell the whole story, but they don’t lie either. The Tigers lost 35-24, and while the quarterback didn’t win them the game, he wasn’t the reason they fell.
The first half looked rough. Clemson managed just one snap in SMU territory — a 32-yard touchdown to TJ Moore. Outside of that? Four punts, 147 total yards, 2 for 8 on third down and no rhythm.
Some of that could be chalked up to a first start.
Vizzina was hesitant early, his timing off and his reads uncertain.
Yet after halftime, he seemed to breathe. His feet settled. He started scanning through progressions, stepping into throws and trusting his protection even though it wasn’t perfect.
“The confidence was always there,” Vizzina said after the game. “It was a slow start, it was a little frustrating, but I think once we got a couple throws in there, we started moving the ball, all the confidence really started to come back.”
The game wasn’t the kind of debut that sends fan bases into a frenzy. At the same time, it didn’t make fans look away, either. Which, given how this season has gone, feels like progress.
Vizzina didn’t pretend to be satisfied afterward.
“My number one goal and really my only goal was to win the game,” he said. “You walk away, people can talk about stats and stuff, but I didn’t ultimately get the job done.”
Swinney felt the outcome was about more than just quarterback play.
“I just wish we’d helped him in one game a little bit more,” Swinney said. “I thought he competed his butt off and grew throughout the game. He’ll gain a lot. We didn’t get the result that he wanted, but he’ll grow from it for sure. No doubt about it.”
So where does that leave Vizzina?
Next year? It’s far too early to start projecting who will even be on the roster come August.
Next week? Klubnik’s still the guy, at least for now. And if he’s healthy, he’ll start against Duke.
But for a team sitting where Clemson is, the calculus shifts. The stakes are different now.
What’s left of this season is about development and evaluation as much as it is about winning.
By that measure, Vizzina probably earned another look.
