DJ Uiagalelei addresses tough start for Clemson
DJ Uiagalelei and the Clemson Tigers are not where they expected to be to start off the season. The Tigers suffered their second loss of the season at home against the North Carolina State Wolfpack. Uiagalelei hasn’t spoken at length about their upset loss and slow start to this season, but at Monday’s press conference he gave his thoughts on Clemson football’s current predicament.
Uiagalelei speaks
“I know the caliber of the team we want and expectations that we have coming into the season. We definitely don’t wanna be 2-2 right now,” Uiagalelei said after being asked was to loss getting to him. ” You know for me this is the first time that I have ever lost two regular-season games in my football career… It’s definitely a different feeling… God puts obstacles in our lives and we gotta learn from them. So now I gotta be able to learn from these different obstacles and continue to keep trusting his process…”
That question was followed up with the question of why the offense is not clicking, to which his reply was quite simple.
“I think the main thing is execution. It starts off with just execution. Everyone just gotta execute including me,” he replied.
In Saturday’s defeat, Uiagalelei wasn’t quite able to execute. The Clemson quarterback was 12 for 26 passing, completing less than 50 percent of his passing attempt. He did have two passing touchdowns, doubling his season total. Both touchdown grabs were by receiver Justyn Ross and it was the first time Uiagalelei had found any kind of rhythm with a receiver this year. Ross had 77 of Uiagalelei’s 111 passing yards. Uiagalelei has not played up to expectations so far. On the season, he is currently 51 of 86 for 475 yards one touchdown and has thrown two interceptions.
Clemson did raise its point total against Power 5 conference schools. They more than doubled the 17 total points in their first two games with 21 on Saturday. And, as ESPN’s Desmond Howard pointed out Uiagalelei has been underwhelming early. On the season, he is currently 63 of 112 for 586 yards three touchdowns and three interceptions.
Back to the Basics?
He finished off by addressing the complexities of the offense right now. Was this a problem they could overcome, or did they need to go back and master the basics of the offense as a whole?
“Yeah, I think it comes down to basics 100% you gotta be able to do the basics right,” he said. “I think the main thing is execution. As long as we can execute, and everyone does their job. If everyone can do that, I think it’s a whole different story and we’re all perfectly fine. I have total confidence in our offense, will be able to keep grinding keep working. We got a long season ahead of us, but I think we’ll be perfectly fine.”
Clemson’s historic fall
While it is still early in the season, the Clemson Tigers are now in a space they’ve never occupied with head coach Dabo Swinney. With the loss, Clemson fell to No. 25 in the AP top-25 poll. With the demotion in the polls, Clemson’s 97-week streak in the top-ten of the AP top-25 — which was tied with Alabama for the longest current run in college football and the second-longest in the history of the AP poll (behind just Miami’s 137 in the 1980s) — was snapped.
DJ Uiagalelei and the Clemson Tigers are no longer in control of their college football playoffs destiny. They will need the football gods to smile in their favor if they are to continue their playoff streak. They entered this season with six consecutive appearances, looking for a seventh.