Dabo Swinney still remembers the big plays.
There were a lot of them from D.J. Uiagalelei, who burst onto the college football scene two years ago filling in for then-Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. All Uiagalelei did in the first road start of his career inside Notre Dame Stadium was throw for a career-high 439 yards and multiple touchdowns with no turnovers.
There was a 53-yard touchdown strike to Cornell Powell, who caught explosive pass after explosive pass from Uiagalelei to the tune of 161 receiving yards on just six catches. Uiagalelei also had a touchdown pass to Davis Allen and ran for another. Clemson lost that game in double overtime before routing Notre Dame in their ACC title game rematch that year with Lawrence back in the lineup, but it was a striking glimpse at Uiagalelei’s potential.
“It wasn’t too big for him,” Swinney said. “Obviously he’s gotten a chance to play against Boston College the week before, so it wasn’t the first time for him to run out there. But he just executed the plan well and made a bunch of big plays. He did everything he could to give us a chance.”
Can Uiagalelei have a repeat performance when the Tigers return to South Bend for tonight’s matchup with the Fighting Irish?
That’s hard to expect considering Uiagalelei hasn’t had many since that have reached that level. The Tigers’ quarterback hasn’t reached the 400-yard passing mark since that night, though his 371-yard, five-score showing at Wake Forest earlier this season was a reminder of his potential.
While external expectations soared following his Notre Dame performance, Uiagalelei said that wasn’t the case personally.
“I expect that out of myself, to be able to play my best game, every time I step on the field,” Uiagalelei said.
Most importantly for Clemson is that Uiagalelei doesn’t have another showing like he did his last time out. Uiagalelei threw two ill-advised interceptions and lost a fumble before getting benched for freshman Cade Klunbik in the second half of the Tigers’ escape of Syracuse two weeks ago.
Returning to a place where personal success came in bunches could inspire some confidence while simultaneously making it easier to move on from his most recent struggle, though Uiagalelei said the biggest help for him going forward will be keeping things simple.
“Just not making the game bigger than what it is,” Uiagalelei said. “It’s going to be a big environment. It’s going to be a night game. A lot of external factors. I think at the end of the day, you just have to go out there and play football.
Swinney and offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter quickly squashed any notion of a quarterback controversy, so Uiagalelei will be back in the starting lineup tonight. Regardless of what it looks like, Swinney said he’s expecting a bounceback performance from a quarterback that had been largely improved this season before the Syracuse debacle.
“Our expectation for him is to play his best game and go back to work,” Swinney said.
Photo credit: Matt Cashore/USA TODAY Sports
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