CLEMSON – On a day when Clemson’s third-team quarterback looked more like the starter and the starter and his backup looked more like third- and fourth-teamers, the prevailing question after the team’s annual Orange and White spring game on Saturday was this: Who’s going to be Trent Pearman’s backup this season?
We jest, of course, because Cade Klubnik is the Tigers’ starting quarterback of the recent past, present and future, but for one bright but chilly April afternoon it was Pearman’s time to shine.
“I’m not a guy who’s 6-(foot)-6, I’m not gonna throw it 85 yards,” said Pearman, a 6-footer. “But I’m someone who’s going to compete and try to give it their all. One thing I know is effort doesn’t go in a slump, so I just try to give best effort.”
His best effort looked rather impressive Saturday in front of a Memorial Stadium crowd of estimated at 47,000, most of whom likely returned home more impressed with Pearman’s prowess than the performances turned in by Klubnik and backup Christopher Vizzina.
Klubnik completed 13 of 26 passes for 158 yards and an interception that was returned 46 yards. Vizzina went 14-for-25 for 108 yards with two interceptions.
Pearman? He completed 13 of 18 passes for 141 yards and a perfectly placed fade to wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. for a 9-yard touchdown. The former Daniel High standout also rushed eight times for 62 yards, including a 49-yard touchdown.
Spring football games typically don’t show us a whole lot, but right or wrong we draw some conclusions from them because that’s about all that the average fan is able to use as a barometer. It provides an early window, however unclear the view, into what the future may hold.
If Saturday’s exhibition, which ended with the Orange taking 27-12 victory over the White, was an accurate indicator, the…
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