Saturday in Death Valley was Perfect for Vizzina

CLEMSON — Clemson’s stifling win over Appalachian State showcased the talents of familiar names like Cade Klubnik and Antonio Williams.

However, with a substantial 56-13 halftime lead, Tiger fans also previewed Clemson’s future as young players like Christopher Vizzina, a redshirt freshman quarterback, shined on Memorial Stadium’s big stage.

Vizzina and his young teammates took over the offensive reins from Klubnik to start the second half and added a touchdown off of a seven-play, 61-yard drive late in the third quarter. The former high school All-American finished the campaign himself, running five yards into the Clemson end zone for the first time in his career.

Vizzina says Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley gave him the go-ahead light at halftime.

“In the locker room, Coach Riley told me it was go time,” Vizzina said. “In the team meeting, Coach Swinney was like it’s CV time. Go show us what you can do. So that was a boost of confidence right there, just feeling everyone believing in me.”

The quarterback quickly rose to Swinney’s challenge, completing 7 of 11 passes for 75 yards in his time on the field. When it was fourth-and-goal from the five yard line, Vizzina knew the moment was his.

“I have to go get in there,” he said. “The circumstances are perfect for me, it’s a night game in Death Valley, fourth down, running with the twos. Those are my guys and I wasn’t going to come up short.”

Vizzina emphasized how special it was to share the touchdown drive with teammates that push him every day in practice.

“That was a really special moment… to celebrate with my teammates after and go back on the sideline and think about what a great drive we had…that was awesome,” he said.

Above all, Vizzina was excited to share the moment with his parents, the support system he credits with, “always making sacrifices to help him pursue his goals” via his website.

“There’s a video of my parents when I ran in for the touchdown and to see them so happy, they knew what it took to get here,” he said. “They knew the journey. Those are my closest supporters, people I love the most and… it was a really special moment after the game to get to share that with them.”

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