By Will Vandervort.

One quarterback is out for at least four weeks, the second one has a banged up shoulder and the third one is a former walk on that has never taken a significant snap. That is No. 22 Clemson’s quarterback situation as it head up to Chestnut Hill, Mass., for this Saturday’s game at Boston College.

“This is a new experience for me,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said Wednesday during his teleconference with the ACC Media.

Swinney and the Tigers (4-2, 3-1 ACC) will head into the ACC Atlantic Division Showdown without his starting quarterback, Deshaun Watson, who is out for a month with a broken finger, which he suffered in the first quarter against Louisville last week.

It marks the first time Clemson’s seventh-year head coach has gone into a game without his starter. Cullen Harper, Kyle Parker and Tajh Boyd never missed a start in Swinney’s previous six seasons.

“They have always been able to play,” Swinney said. “Tajh Boyd never missed a start. Kyle Parker did not miss a start. It is a little different territory for me in that regard, but you can’t sit around and worry about that. You just have to put a good plan together and go execute the plan.

“If somebody does get hurt, whether it is the quarterback or whoever, you put the next man in and you try to find a way to win.”

Clemson is in pretty good shape when it comes to who will step in and start this week. Veteran Cole Stoudt, who started the season as the starter, will be the Tigers’ next guy up. He came in off the bench after Watson got hurt last week and helped lead Clemson to a 23-17 win over Louisville.

But Stoudt doesn’t come into the game against Boston College in picture-perfect health. He is still trying to get over an AC joint injury in his left (non-throwing) shoulder, which he suffered in the Tigers’ win over NC State on Oct. 4.

Stoudt played despite being 50 percent against the Cardinals. So what happens if Stoudt goes down with an injury this coming Saturday or at any time in the next four weeks before Watson returns?

Clemson can’t afford to worry about that.

“It is football and we can’t put them out there in a padded cage,” Swinney said. “Anytime you run out there between the lines, in this game, there is a chance you might get hurt. That’s just the nature of the game.

“That’s why we work so hard in trying to get the next guy ready.”

The next guy is Nick Schuessler, a walk on, who moved up to third-team status after Chad Kelly was dismissed from the team in the spring.

To get an idea of who Schuessler is – he is not even listed in the Clemson media guide players’ bio section. He can’t be found until turning to the section called “Veteran Reserves” on page 93 of the book, and that is only a picture with his name, jersey number, position, class and hometown on it.

“I have full confidence in myself,” the sophomore said. “I believe I can win at this level. If that time comes and I have to step in and lead this team, I have full confidence I can get the job done.”

Unless that time comes, the job is Stoudt’s for the time being and Swinney says the senior has taken every rep in practice on Monday and Tuesday and has looked good doing it.

“He is very focused and dialed in, and it was a good Monday and Tuesday so far with our prep,” Swinney said.