With the game well in hand, Clemson backup quarterback Christopher Vizzina got the chance to show what he could do on Saturday against North Carolina.

The redshirt sophomore played two drives in the second half of the Tigers’ 38-10 victory over the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill and finished 6-of-11 passing for 39 yards with no touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 84.3. He also had 2 rushing yards on two carries.

It marked Vizzina’s second game action this season and gave him the opportunity to play with Clemson’s starters.

“It’s just great for him to play,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said of Vizzina after the game. “We were able to get [redshirt junior QB] Trent [Pearman] in there, too. … Just fun to see those guys get an opportunity to play, but especially for CV, to get some good game work in. I know it’s something that’ll pay off for him.”

On Clemson’s first drive with Vizzina taking the snaps, the Tigers marched 55 yards on 14 plays in five minutes and 20 seconds, ultimately settling for a 27-yard field goal. The possession was aided by a pass interference penalty against UNC on third-and-7 that also wiped out an interception thrown by Vizzina.

Vizzina’s second drive ended in a turnover on downs after a 4-yard pass to wide receiver Tyler Brown on fourth-and-5 from the UNC 34.

Overall, Vizzina’s performance was a mixed bag. He made one really good throw to wide receiver Antonio Williams on his first drive, putting it where only his guy could get it.

There were some other throws that were off target, including two on fade routes into the end zone, both of which could have been intercepted. A third attempt on third down, on an out route, also could have easily been picked off.

So, what did Swinney think of what he saw from Vizzina overall?

“I thought he did a nice job,” Swinney said. “There was a couple of balls that I thought he might should have back-shouldered one of those down the field. But really good job on the boot. Very accurate throw to Antonio.”

Vizzina is now in his second season serving as the backup to Cade Klubnik.

Vizzina was a highly touted quarterback coming out of high school. The former four-star talent amassed 7,220 yards and 59 touchdown passes in his prep career, while adding another 29 scores via his legs.

Despite being in his third season at Clemson, Vizzina has seen little game action to this point. For his career, including the UNC game, he is 25-of-45 passing for 229 yards. He’s also rushed for 70 yards, including one touchdown run.

Swinney said the Tigers were planning to play Vizzina on the second possession in the second half of the UNC game, “no matter what” happened.

“It was good to get him in there,” Swinney said. “I had no idea the time of possession was going to be the way it was in that third quarter. … Cade had one possession. I think he only had one the whole second half. So, what he did in the first half was amazing. But coming out of halftime, I told him, I said, ‘Second possession, no matter what happens, I’m putting CV in.’ Because I just want to get him in the game and I want him to play with the 1s, and I want to get him in there, because he hasn’t played a whole lot.”