Disaster for Clemson in the Valley of Death
By: Will Vandervort November 14, 2026

CLEMSON – Saturday may have looked like a beautiful fall afternoon in Clemson. However, it was anything but.

Actually, it was a disaster, as the Tigers lost their starting quarterback to an apparent knee injury and then the ballgame to a Georgia Tech team they were favored to beat by two touchdowns.

The Yellow Jackets ran for 269 yards, including a 53-yard Justice Haynes touchdown at Memorial Stadium, as they beat Clemson for a second straight year 20-6.

Of course, it all started when Clemson quarterback Tait Reynolds was injured on the third play from scrimmage and did not return.

The Tigers (6-4, 4-3 ACC) played four quarterbacks in the game, including emergency quarterback Christopher Vizzina, who came in the second quarter and led the Tigers to their only scoring drives.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • The loss was one of the worst in the Dabo Swinney era. Saturday’s was just the Yellow Jackets’ third win of the season. Only the 2009 team’s loss at a 2-10 Maryland team was worse. The Yellow Jackets improved to 3-7 overall and 2-5 in the ACC.
  • Clemson is now 2-9 against Power 4 opponents in Death Valley since 2024. The Tigers have lost three straight home games — Miami, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech.
  • Georgia Tech had 407 total yards and ran for 5.2 yards per carry. They averaged 6.1 yards per play.
  • Clemson won the turnover margin 2-1. It’s the first time the Tigers won the turnover margin in a game since their win at California in September.
  • The Tigers allowed 269 rushing yards to a Georgia Tech team that was averaging just 118 yards per game on the ground coming in.
  • Clemson ran for 86 yards. Georgia Tech ranked last in the ACC coming into the game, allowing 222 yards per game on the ground.
  • Nolan Hauser’s 40-yard field goal in the second quarter was his 28th of the season and set the Clemson single-season record for field goals made, breaking Greg Huegel’s mark of 27 set in 2015. Hauser later made a 47-yard field goal in the second quarter. He also missed from 52 yards.
  • Clemson tallied just 228 total yards against one of the worse defense in the ACC.
  • Vizzina finished the afternoon with 133 yards on 12 of 27 passes and one interception. He was sacked four times.
  • Clemson’s defense, which had 27 sacks coming into the game, finished the day with no sacks and just three tackles for loss.
  • Former Clemson star DeAndre Hopkins, who grew up in nearby Central and went to Daniel High School before becoming a Tiger, returned to Death Valley on Saturday as the wide receivers coach at Georgia Tech.

UP NEXT

Clemson visits Duke next Friday night in Durham, N.C. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.