Clemson did not find many answers offensively Saturday night, but the Tigers found enough to escape Memorial Stadium with their first victory of the season.
Freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds was forced into action after Christopher Vizzina suffered a left arm injury, while kicker Nolan Hauser provided most of Clemson’s scoring in a 22-7 victory over Georgia Southern.
Hauser tied his career high by connecting on five field goals, hitting from 20, 34, 38, 50 and 49 yards. He improved to 6-for-6 this season and matched the five field goals he made against Florida State in 2024.
Reynolds settled in after replacing Vizzina, completing 16 of 27 passes for 178 yards while adding 36 rushing yards. He was especially effective before halftime, going 12-for-17
for 160 yards.
One of his biggest plays came on third-and-20 late in the second quarter when he found Tyler Brown for 20 yards. Reynolds then scrambled 16 yards to help set up a Hauser field goal that sent Clemson into halftime leading 16-7.
Vizzina finished 4-for-7 for 19 yards before leaving the game. His 10-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Moore opened the scoring, but he was intercepted by Jakyri Jones on his next attempt.
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While the offense struggled, Clemson’s defense delivered a much stronger performance than it did against LSU. The Tigers limited Georgia Southern to only 22 rushing yards and 266 total yards. The Eagles’ lone touchdown came on a 42-yard connection between Max Johnson and Ashton Hollins.
There are still major concerns up front. Clemson allowed 11 tackles for loss, including two sacks, and committed multiple holding and false-start penalties. The Tigers also averaged just 3.8 yards per rush, with Gideon Davidson leading the team with 62 yards on 14 carries.
After a two-and-a-half-hour weather delay pushed kickoff to 9:30 p.m., Clemson improved to 1-1. The Tigers will remain home next week to face North Carolina at noon.
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson looks incredibly underwhelming in Week 2 win over Georgia Southern
