CLEMSON — It appears we have gotten some clarity at the quarterback position for Clemson during the first half against Georgia State.

The Tigers have put up close to 200 yards of offense on the board but only 16 points to show for it, as Clemson leads 16-7 over the Sun Belt team.

The Tigers have had one opportunity after another to put some distance between themselves and the Eagles, but the offense just can’t find much consistency. The Tigers have made four trips inside the red zone but only have one touchdown and two field goals to show for it. Seven Clemson penalties have really hurt, with three of those being called on left tackle Brayden Jacobs.

While Chris Vizzina got the start and played the first three series, Tait Reynolds took over on the fourth possession and played the rest of the half.

Vizzina got off to a shaky start, missing on two early throws, both to Bryant Wesco. One was on a deep ball that was badly off target. If it’s an accurate throw, it likely goes for six. On the next possession, Vizzina’s pass to Wesco on a slant route was behind him. He did finish the drive with a touchdown pass to T.J. Moore.

On the Tigers’ third possession, Vizzina threw one deep to Wesco, and it was into double coverage. It ended up being an easy interception for the Eagles.

Reynolds took over on the next possession and looked much more in charge of the offense. His two passes on that possession were out quick and on the money. However, the freshman did fumble the ball on a QB run inside the Georgia Southern 10-yard line. If you are going to go with the freshman, there are going to be some freshman miscues that go along with it.

Reynolds looked good on his second possession, driving the team inside the 10 again, but the Tigers would ultimately settle for a field goal. On his third possession, early in the second quarter, a holding call would put the offense behind the sticks, leading to a Jack Smith punt.

Make no mistake, Reynolds has been far from perfect, but the offense has run smoother in the first half while he’s been on the field. The freshman is 12-of-17 for 161 yards so far. He’s really looked good throwing on the run. His 32 rushing yards are also a team high currently.

Third downs have still been a struggle as the offense is just 1-for-7.

The run game has been slightly improved in the first half, as Clemson has rushed for 78 yards over the first two quarters. That is just nowhere near what was expected when Chad Morris was brought back. The Tigers are averaging just 3.7 yards per rush.

Tom Allen’s defense has looked much different. The Tigers have held the Eagles to just 111 yards of offense. After the run defense was so bad last weekend, Clemson has only allowed nine yards on the ground in the first half.

Georgia Southern’s offense has picked up just two first downs, with the Eagles going 1-for-7 on third down. Both first downs came on their final drive of the half.

The secondary has mostly looked strong, outside of the Eagles’ lone touchdown coming late in the half. Eilliot Washington’s safety help was slow to get over on the play, and it resulted in a 42-yard scoring strike from Max Johnson to Ashton Hollins. Johnson had too much time to throw on the play.

Will Heldt had a strong first half, recording two sacks.