Tag: D.J. Uiagalelei

Tale of the Tape: Leading Receivers – Javon McKinley vs. Amari Rodgers

If there ever was a time for Javon McKinley to be a leader for Notre Dame’s receiving corps, it will have to be against Clemson.

If there ever was a time for Javon McKinley to be a leader for Notre Dame’s receiving corps, it will have to be against Clemson. Despite having the most yards out of that group, he still has not scored a touchdown this season. On the flip side, he’s been key in helping the Irish reach the end zone more than doing so itself, which is valuable for any football team. It just so happens that the one for the Irish has more production than might be expected for that particular player.

The Tigers clearly have the edge in this category via Amari Rodgers. He has nearly triple the receptions and more than double the receiving yards of McKinley, not to mention his six touchdowns. Even without Trevor Lawrence, there’s no reason to think Rodgers won’t have close to his normal production while catching passes from D.J. Uiagalelei. If the Irish’s defense lets him get free, it could be a long night for the home team.

 

Trevor Lawrence Will Be on Clemson’s Sideline Against Notre Dame

Even though Trevor Lawrence won’t play against Notre Dame, he’ll still be around.

Even though Trevor Lawrence won’t play against Notre Dame, he’ll still be around. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney confirmed Tuesday that Lawrence will be on the sideline for the game. Although he will have cleared the 10-day isolation protocol by Thursday, he also must complete some cardiovascular tests for symptoms of myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle. All of those won’t be done in time for Saturday’s contest.

Perhaps Lawrence’s biggest role during the game will be mentoring D.J. Uiagalelei. Though highly touted, Uiagalelei still is a freshman with limited game experience. We got a good look at him when he started against Boston College, but how will he do against a punishing Irish defense? This will be his first real test as a collegiate player, and Lawrence knows the game better than pretty much any other player at this level.

No, Lawrence won’t appear in the box score Saturday, but to say he won’t have an impact on the game is quite presumptuous.

Tale of the Tape: Starting Quarterbacks – Ian Book vs. D.J. Uiagalelei

When it comes to Notre Dame-Clemson, quarterback will be a position more about who’s not there than who is.

When it comes to Notre Dame-Clemson, quarterback will be a position more about who’s not there than who is. Consequently, Ian Book has the advantage by default, but will he make the difference between victory and defeat for the Irish? More than a quarter of the plays involving him have had him keep the ball for himself, and he’s not exactly blowing anyone away as a quarterback who runs frequently. The Irish will need everyone at the top of their game, and that includes Book, who has been unspectacular more often than not this season.

With no Trevor Lawrence, the Tigers will turn to five-star freshman D.J. Uiagalelei to start under center. The early returns on him have been promising, completing 70 percent of his passes, and averaging 4.1 yards a carry when his own number has been called. Though it’s too soon to know exactly who he is at this level, we’ll probably get a good idea as he finds himself thrust into college football’s biggest game of the season. If he demonstrates why he was highly recruited, he not only will set the Tigers up well in this game, but also for the next couple of years.

BREAKING: Trevor Lawrence Officially Out Against Notre Dame

While it’s nice to try and take advantage of a weakened opponent, I don’t think anyone wanted this.

While it’s nice to try and take advantage of a weakened opponent, I don’t think anyone wanted this. About 45 minutes after Clemson defeated Boston College on Saturday, coach Dabo Swinney announced that Trevor Lawrence, who recently tested positive for COVID-19, will not play at Notre Dame next week. This comes after the Tigers already lost defensive end Xavier Thomas for the first half of that game for a targeting penalty late in Saturday’s game.

The news of college football’s most prolific player missing arguably the sport’s most important game this season is sure to raise one question after another. Is Clemson truly worthy of holding the top spot in the rankings at the moment? How much would a Notre Dame upset be diminished, thus affecting its College Football Playoff resume? Is next week’s game still worthy of the hype it’s gotten, or does this twist cause people to lose interest?

All of a sudden, it’s up to D.J. Uiagalelei to carry the Tigers in South Bend. He did well against the Eagles, but the Irish will present much more of a challenge for the freshman. Fortunately for him, he has a full week to prepare. Whether that will be enough won’t be answered until the game is played.

Boston College shocks Clemson with a 97-yard TD fumble return

Yikes.

Early in the second quarter Saturday, No. 1 Clemson was one yard away from tying up the game against Boston College — until a poor handoff from backup quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei to running back Travis Etienne ultimately led to a touchdown at the other end of the field.

With the Tigers’ starting quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, out this week after testing positive for COVID-19, Uiagalelei took over, and he was having a solid start to the game.

And on 3rd-and-goal on Boston College’s 1-yard line with the Tigers down, 14-7, Uiagalelei handed the ball off to Etienne to make a run at the end zone. But the handoff didn’t look seamless, and the ball quickly shot out of Etienne’s grasp.

It practically fell into the hands of Eagles defensive back Brandon Sebastian, who scooped the fumble up and returned it for a stunning 97-yard touchdown.

And just like that, instead of Clemson tying the game at 14-all — what seemed like the most likely scenario with the nation’s top team on the 1-yard line — it fell deeper into an early 21-7 deficit.

At the time of this post, Boston College had a 21-10 lead over the Tigers.

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