After Clemson’s 44-7 over UConn at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Tony Elliott was asked about the decision to play D.J. Uiagalelei, who is currently nursing an MCL sprain.
“D.J., obviously, was in a position to where he could function and play,” Clemson’s offensive coordinator said postgame. “He practiced all week. Definitely wanted to continue to allow him to build his rhythm and his confidence. That was the thought process there.”
Elliott acknowledged that while Uiagalelei was limited from a physical standpoint, there was not much Clemson could do after Taisun Phommachanch injured his shoulder. It’s reasonable to infer that the redshirt sophomore quarterback would’ve received a significant amount of playing time had he not gotten injured.
“You saw we had Taisun in there early, working our two-quarterback package,” he said. “He banged his shoulder. So, obviously, the plan was to play Taisun a little bit more, but…we didn’t have him available and that’s why D.J. played more than we would have liked to in that situation.”
Uiagalelei completed just 21-of-44 passes (48%) for 241 yards with a touchdown and an interception. His struggles were evident throughout the first half of Saturday’s game. At one point, Uiagalelei missed eight consecutive throws.
“I thought he battled through his struggles today,” Elliott said of Clemson’s QB1. “I thought the wideouts could’ve helped him a bit by catching a couple of balls. But, I was proud of how he finished. I thought D.J. finished the first half well and started the second half well.”
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