Snap judgments as DJ Uiagalelei shines in win over Furman

Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei played one of the best games of his career Saturday afternoon against Furman to lead the Tigers to a 35-12 victory at Memorial Stadium.

Yes, Clemson was facing an FCS opponent, but the junior was accurate, confident and made good decisions throughout the afternoon in the Tigers home opener.

Uiagalelei played arguably his best game since his second start of his career at Notre Dame as a freshman in 2020.

“DJ was awesome,” Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said. “I mean he was 21 of 27 and had two big drops – two plays that we’ve got to make and we didn’t make either one of them. He made some really pretty throws, made some big plays with his legs. He’s making really good decisions.”

Here are some other quick takeaways from Clemson’s victory:

DJ Uiagalelei clearly Clemson’s starter

There was a lot of talk this past week about who Clemson’s starting quarterback should be after Cade Klubnik impressed in his only drive against Georgia Tech.

That won’t be the case with the way the quarterbacks played on Saturday.

While Uiagalelei had one of the better games of his career, Klubnik struggled, finishing 1-for-4 passing for (-2) yards.

Uiagalelei finished 21 of 27 for 231 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 36 yards.

Defense has mistakes to clean up

The Clemson defense was far from its best Saturday afternoon.

Furman finished with 384 yards of offense and averaged 8 yards per play in the first half.

Clemson’s secondary struggled in particular, and the Tigers couldn’t stop Furman’s screen game for much of the afternoon.

There is plenty for Wes Goodwin to clean up from Saturday’s game after the Paladins outgained the Tigers.

“Give some props to Furman. They came out with a great game plan — were really efficient on first and second down,” defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin said. “Couldn’t get them behind the chains. Just really efficient – were getting the ball out on the perimeter, getting the ball out of the quarterback’s hands, quick game and stuff.”

Second half sloppy for Tigers

Clemson only outscored Furman 7-3 in the second half, despite the starters playing much of the final two quarters.

There were dropped passes and a muffed punt. Clemson hosts Louisiana Tech next week but has plenty to clean up before traveling to Wake Forest on Sept. 24.

“I wish we’d have been able to play a little more complementary football,” Swinney said. “That was kind of what I expected. It didn’t happen.”