Following Clemson’s 12-7 loss to Wake Forest Thursday night, Tiger fans increased their call for a coaching change.

For now, they’ll have to settle for a change at quarterback.

Tommy Bowden announced Friday during a teleconference that redshirt freshman Willy Korn would get the start against Georgia Tech Oct. 18, replacing preseason ACC Player of the Year selection Cullen Harper. Harper, who underwent shoulder surgery last November and suffered a strain on the same shoulder in a 34-10 season-opening loss to Alabama, has struggled with accuracy in Clemson’s 3-3, 1-2 ACC start.

Following the game against Wake, Harper is 84-126-5 passing for 944 yards and only three touchdowns.

“(Korn’s) mobility will definitely help the team,” Bowden said. “We need to find a spark offensively, and this gives us new mobility at quarterback.”

Clemson has yet to score more than 27 points against a Football Bowl Subdivision school and in fact has just one victory against a FBS foe. The Tigers have now gone six quarters and scored only one touchdown.

Bowden said he talked to offensive coordinator Rob Spence about the move and made the decision at 1 p.m. Friday.

“If Willy stays healthy, he’ll go the whole way against Georgia Tech,” Bowden said. “We’ll reevaluate things after that game. We’ve got to understand that he’s a redshirt freshman and this is a pretty big decision.”

Like Bowden, Spence has come under fire for predictable play calling that has yielded little in the way of points. With Korn behind center the hope is an offense that has sputtered both on the ground and in the air will have a new dimension.

However, the head coach said there is no discussion to change Spence’s role nor has the administration asked him to do so.

“The administration has said nothing,” Bowden said. “Rob’s been here three years and has a pretty productive track record. We’ve had a couple of lapses in productivity, but he didn’t forget how to coordinate the offense in six games.”

Bowden added that his vote of confidence doesn’t mean he’s happy at the direction the offense has taken.

“We’re going to reevaluate our plan of attack,” Bowden said. “I haven’t lost confidence in Rob but I haven’t been pleased with our productivity.”

Harper, a business management graduate who has started 19 consecutive games for Clemson, now sits in favor of the highly touted recruit who was a fan favorite before ever taking a snap.

Korn played in two games last season and two this year, against Football Championship Subdivision foes The Citadel and South Carolina State.

For his career, Korn is 22-29-0 for 257 yards and two touchdowns and has 15 rushes for 46 yards and two scores.

Why did Bowden wait so long to make the move?

“I waited so long because I thought this was the appropriate time,” he said. “The decision was more difficult because of the kind of performance Cullen had last year. And when you make a move like this you have to really look at the tape and find out if you’re making the right move.”

In a season that has already fell well below expectations, Bowden admits he’s taking a chance with Korn behind center.

“Cullen was a roll of the dice last year,” Bowden said. “This is, too, because we don’t know what Willy will do.”

Bowden — and Clemson fans — will have the chance to find out starting at noon next Saturday at Memorial Stadium.