Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei Finds Confidence in Week 1 Performance
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All offseason, Clemson players and coaches talked about a confident DJ Uiagalelei.
That's a trait he didn't have much of last season, but in Monday night's 41-10 victory over Georgia Tech, the Tigers' starting quarterback showed what others had been seeing on and off the field.
Uiagalelei overcame a slow start, a poorly handled snap and a fumble to lead Clemson on six scoring drives in the next nine possessions.
"I felt like I was just out there playing, having fun," Uiagalelei said after the game in Atlanta. "I felt confident out there. The game kind of slowed down. Sometimes when you play as a quarterback, receiver, running back, anybody on defense, the game starts to slow down. So when the game starts to slow down, it's a lot of fun. It makes the game a lot easier."
Uiagalelei finished 19-of-32 passing for 209 yards. He got involved in the run game by design. He threw a 6-yard touchdown strike to Beaux Collins in the end zone in the second quarter. He made a play falling down during a sack where he flipped the ball to Will Shipley for a key third-down conversion.
Uiagalelei made better throws and was more on time once he and the offense found their footing.
"I feel like as an offense we got more comfortable, especially coming out after halftime," Uiagalelei said. "We had two big drives we put together. A lot of third-down conversions. I feel like we just hit our rhythm. First game, kind of got to get your feet wet a little bit, but I feel like as an offense we did a good job keeping the drives alive."
Uiagalelei showed some of the swagger that was hard to find a year ago, when he ranked last in the ACC in quarterback rating. On his 9-yard touchdown run that put Clemson up 24-10 in the third quarter, the QB turned around while going into the end zone and looked down at a Georgia Tech defender who missed a tackle.
"It was kind of a walk-in touchdown," Uiagalelei said. "I was excited. I was real hyped up running into the end zone. Probably won't do that next time. I might get a flag, but I was just excited."
It was far from a perfect performance by Uiagalelei and the entire Clemson offense, and there is plenty to improve, but it's a performance the Tigers feel like they can build upon.
"I think you saw DJ do things tonight that we needed to see and that he didn't do last year," Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. "He made a lot of plays with his legs. He showed great leadership, great moxie. There's nobody in America that had more eyes on him tonight than our quarterback. I love how he responded."
