Dabo Swinney on DJ Uiagalelei handling the Georgia pressure

Last night, Dabo Swinney and D.J. Uiagalelei felt disappointment following Clemson’s loss to Georgia. While the performance of Uiagalelei was uninspiring, Swinney believes in his quarterback’s resolve.

In his post-game press conference, Swinney was asked about Uiagalelei handling the pressure of both Georgia’s defense and Clemson’s expectations.

“The first part of the game I think he was affected some,” said Swinney. “But I thought the last quarter, half he responded. That’s really what you want to see from your quarterback.

“Again, this was a tough matchup. You want to see a guy respond to the success and the adversity. We didn’t have much success for two and a half quarters there, but we had a lot of adversity. He got better, he didn’t get worse – and that’s what you want to see from your young quarterback. I’m proud of him.” 

Moreover, Swinney continued to talk about how in the long run, last night will help Uiagalelei reach his immense potential.

“There’s nobody that cares more,” said Swinney. “This is an incredibly talented player, and that will prove to be the case as he goes through his career. This will be one that’ll grow him up even quicker for sure.”

Swinney may be disappointed with Clemson’s opening night loss, but their season is far from over. If Uiagalelei can continue to improve, a chance for a rematch is certainly on the table.

“I just gotta be able to grow from that.”

In addition to Swinney, Uiagalelei showed his maturity and intelligence following his first game as the unquestioned starter of the Clemson Tigers. While things didn’t go according to plan in his team’s loss against the Georgia Bulldogs, he knows where he needs to improve. 

In his postgame comments, Uiagalelei’s confidence was unshaken. Still, he recognized that he needs to execute better if his team is going to reach their potential.

“I felt confident,” said Uiagalelei. “Just gotta go out there and execute. 

“I didn’t execute the game plan to what I needed to do . . . didn’t make the throws when I needed to. I took a couple sacks when I should’ve thrown the ball away. Simple stuff like that. 

“I just gotta be able to grow from that. Can’t make those mistakes.”

Last night, Uiagalelei completed 19 of 37 passes, accumulating 187 yards and one interception. Additionally, he was sacked by Georgia a whipping seven times.

Moreover, Uiagalelei was asked if he felt flustered by the ferocity of Georgia’s defense.

“I don’t think I felt flustered. I just gotta make the play,” he said. “Knew what the read was, didn’t throw it. Held onto the ball, and ended up taking a couple sacks.”

The combination of Dabo Swinney and D.J. Uiagalelei will get a bevy of chances to prove themselves over the rest of the season. Still, the sting from last night’s loss is fresh this morning.