D.J. Uiagalelei and Cade Klubnik have been 1-2 on Clemson’s depth chart since Klubnik arrived on campus in January as the Tigers’ latest blue-chip quarterback signee. And when the true freshman led a seamless touchdown drive late in the Tigers’ opening win over Georgia Tech five days earlier, the outside clamoring for Klubnik to, at the least, get more opportunities with the first-team offense only intensified.
But Saturday belonged to Clemson’s veteran starter.
Uiagalelei played the majority of the Tigers’ 35-12 victory over Furman at Memorial Stadium, and never has he had a more efficient day through the air in his first three years as a Tiger. Uiagalelei finished 21 of 27 passing for 231 yards and a pair of scores, continuing his strong start to the season in the accuracy department.
The completion percentage was the highest Uiagalelei has posted when attempting at least 25 passes. There was the 72% rate he had on 25 attempts against Georgia Tech last season and the 73% he completed in that spot start at Notre Dame as a true freshman in 2020, but never had he reached the 75% mark until completing 77.7% of his attempts against the Paladins.
“D.J. was awesome,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.
He also surpassed 210 passing yards for the second straight game, something Uiagalelei did only twice all of last season. Uiagalelei set the tone for his acumen early, completing his first six passes, and didn’t slow down much until his one real mistake in the third quarter when he was intercepted, a tipped ball into a tight window that Swinney and offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter said was a poor decision on the quarterback’s part.
But when Uiagalelei was on, there were plays both big and small that came from his right arm. He connected with Beaux Collins for a 40-yard completion on a deep post to convert Clemson’s first third down of the day. There was a 26-yard pass to Joseph Ngata on the same drive that helped set up the Tigers’ first touchdown.
He later found Antonio Williams for a 19-yard chunk and tight end Davis Allen up the seam for 23 more yards. All of those completions eventually led to touchdowns for the Tigers, who scored one on each of the first five possessions led by Uiagalelei. The only time the offense bogged down in the first two quarters was when Klubnik took the field for Clemson’s fourth possession with the Tigers up 21-3.
Clemson went three-and-out on that possession, and Klubnik didn’t see the field again until the game was well in hand late in the fourth quarter.
“Really this week was just one of those one-week deals where it’s, ‘Hey, let’s get Cade in there in the first half,” Streeter explained of that decision. “I think from here on out, we’ll kind of evaluate how we’re playing, see where we’re at and kind of go from there.”
Uiagalelei came back in for the Tigers’ final possession of the first half and capped another scoring drive with one of his best touch passes of the day. With Furman pushing the pocket, Uiagalelei backed up just enough to get off a well-placed ball over Collins’ shoulder near the front corner of the end zone.
“His pocket presence, to me, was unbelievable tonight,” Streeter said. “He made some plays in the pocket where he was maneuvering in the pocket and just finding that little soft spot, which is what we work on a good bit a lot. I know that was a big goal for him this week, too.
“Whenever he is in the pocket and is balanced, I’m telling you, he’s as accurate as they come. He threw the ball really, really well tonight and gave our guys a chance.”
And, minus a third-down, back-shoulder throw going through E.J. Williams hands early in the fourth quarter, Uiagalelei got more help from his receivers. The Tigers’ leading group of wideouts – Joseph Ngata, Brannon Spector, Beaux Collins and E.J. Williams – combined for just five catches in the opener, but Collins and Spector had four apiece Saturday. Antonio Williams also hauled in three balls for 39 yards.
While it may be easy to point to the level of competition as a contributing factor in Uiagalelei’s completion percentage, it was a significant improvement from the 58% rate he had in Clemson’s win a season ago against South Carolina State, the Tigers’ most recent FCS opponent before Saturday. And on a day when Furman’s offense stayed on the field more often than not (10 of 18 on third down) and limited the Tigers’ possessions, Uiagalelei’s efficiency was necessary to help the Tigers create some breathing room.
After completing just 55% of his passes all of last season – the second-lowest mark among ACC starters – Uiagalelei is completing passes at a 67% rate so far this season.
“He’s maturing,” Swinney said. “It’s a developmental game. If you’re made of the right stuff, you get better. And he’s made of the right stuff.”