Unhappy With First Half Performance, Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei Helps Lead Late Surge
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CLEMSON, S.C.- The Clemson offense was a model of inconsistency in the first half against Louisiana Tech.
After scoring 10 points on the first two offensive series, the No. 5 Tigers could only muster three points the rest of the first half, something that did not please starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei.
"I know I was kinda pissed about how we came out in the first half," Uiagalelei said. "Just me missing a couple of throws, it was 13-3. But we knew that if you put some plays together, we'd bust it wide open and that's exactly what we did."
However, Uiagalelei would help spark a second-half explosion that saw the offense find its groove, scoring touchdowns on five of its eight possessions after the break, as Clemson beat Louisiana Tech 48-20.
The junior quarterback finished a modest 17-for-29 with 229 yards, but consistently put the ball where only his receivers could get it. Uiagalelei was also a factor in the running game, averaging 6.9 YPC, as the Tigers finished the night with 280 yards on the ground.
The offense also benefitted from having the ball on a short field at times, as the Clemson defense forced four turnovers on the night.
"We just came out and played," Uiagalelei said of the second-half effort. "Made some plays, started to get going. Defense did a really (good) job giving us the ball, got two big turnovers the first two possessions. We had short fields and we just punched it in."
Overall, Uiagalelei was happy with the performance of the offense, despite some of the inconsistency in that first half. The goal is to keep improving from one week to the next, and according to Uiagalelei, the Tigers absolutely did that,
"I feel like we had a good game," Uiagalelei said. "A lot of ups and downs but overall thought it was a really good game. Yeah, 521 yards of offense today I think. We ran the heck out of the ball, the offensive line played an amazing game. Receivers made a lot of plays. A lot of big plays in the passing game and the running game. I thought we took a right step in the right direction."
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