CLEMSON – A day when Clemson's third-team quarterback looked like a starter and the starters and their reserves looked like third-team and fort teams after the team's annual Orange and White spring game on Saturday. The popular question was: Will he be Trent Pearman's backup this season?
I'm kidding, of course, since Cade Klubnik is the Tigers' starting quarterback of recent past, present and future, but on a bright but chilly April afternoon, Pearman had his moments to shine.
“I'm not a 6-foot-6 player. I'm not going to throw 85 yards,” said the 6-foot Pearman. “But I'm a person who competes and tries to give my best effort. One thing I know is that effort never slumps, so I just try to give my best effort. .”
His best effort was pretty impressive in front of an estimated Memorial Stadium crowd of 47,000 on Saturday, but most were probably more impressed by Pearman's excellence than by the performances of Krbnik and reserve Christopher Vizzina. I would have gone back home.
Krbnik completed 13 of 26 passes for 158 yards and had an interception returned 46 yards. Vizzina completed 14-of-25 for 108 yards and 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 gained 62 yards on eight rushes, including a 49-yard touchdown.
Spring football games don't usually show us a whole lot, but rightly or wrongly, that's all the average fan can use as a barometer, so we'll draw some conclusions from it. It provides an early window into what the future holds, even if the outlook is uncertain.
If Saturday's result, which ended with the Orange's 27-12 win over the White, was an accurate indicator, the entire offensive line will need a lot of work between now and Aug. 31 against Georgia.
“It's incomplete,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said when asked about the state of his team's offense. “We're still a work in progress.”
It didn't help that 12 key players, including receivers Tyler Brown, Cole Turner and Troy Stellato, were out with injuries or various other ailments on Saturday, but quarterback play is likely to be affected in the coming months. There is no doubt that improvements need to be made in the interim.
“We have a chance to be a more confident group,” Swinney said. “And our quarterback taking another step forward is going to be a big part of that.”
Game highlights:Clemson football's Cade Klubnik, how the revamped defensive line performed in the spring game
Meanwhile, Pearman is a man of the hour and Swinney is happy to have him on the roster. In fact, Pearman's presence is the reason Swinney didn't pursue other quarterbacks more aggressively during the offseason.
“We really believe in this kid,” Swinney said. “This guy threw for billions of yards in high school. He's won the Gatorade Player of the Year award twice, but he's not lucky enough to win back-to-back state championships. He threw for a ton. He has a lot of whimsy and natural gamesmanship. He takes complete ownership of what we're doing. No one knows much about him and no one talks about him. No, but he's been consistent like that in practice over the past year or so.”
Pearman, whose father, Danny, is a former Tigers player and coach and currently serves as the program's director of football scouting, admits his only goal is to help his team win.
“I obviously felt good today,” Pearman said. “I like to think of myself as a smart quarterback who just tries to do his job. When I was a kid, Monday through Sunday, it was football (for me). This is my life and I love it. Masu.”
If there were more days like Saturday, I might like it even more.
Scott Keefer covers Clemson athletics for the Greenville News and USA TODAY Network.send him an emailskipfer@gannett.com Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ScottKeepfer.
