Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei back on field working after win over BC

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is confident that Tigers quarterback DJ Uiagalelei is going to start playing up to his capabilities soon.

Swinney has said time and time again that the quarterback’s commitment to being great won’t allow him to struggle for long.

That commitment was on display following Clemson’s 19-13 win over Boston College on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Swinney said postgame that he wants his players to rest and regroup physically and mentally after a grueling five-game stretch to open the season that saw the Tigers go 3-2.

But before beginning his bye week, Uiagalelei went back on the field after his media availability Saturday night and was working with someone who appeared to be a student assistant on his throws.

Uiagalelei spent about 30 minutes working before exiting the field at about 1 a.m. Only workers cleaning up the stadium and a few media members were remaining when Uiagalelei left.

“It’ll come,” Swinney said of Uiagalelei being more accurate with his throws following Saturday’s win over BC. “This is the same guy who threw for almost 500 against Notre Dame last year. It’s in there. Just gotta keep rolling.”

It’s not as if Uiagalelei was bad Saturday night. The California native was 13-for-28 passing for 207 yards and also rushed for 50 yards.

But he also missed too many throws once again.

Uiagalelei entered Saturday’s game last in the ACC in completion percentage, and that was before he completed less than 50 percent of his passes against the Eagles.

Still, Swinney believes Uiagalelei grew up Saturday night. That includes with his work postgame.

Uiagalelei continues to put in the work, and soon that should pay off for Clemson.

“We’ve gotta finish some of the plays that are there,” Swinney said. “We’ve got several plays that we need to finish that they’re there. We’ve gotta just continue to develop that chemistry and get it done.”