Joseph Ngata finally puts together breakout game

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson coaching staff have been high on Joseph Ngata since he began practicing with the Tigers in 2019. On Saturday night in Charlotte, the wide receiver showed why he has been garnering so much hype the last couple years.

The junior accounted for 110 of Clemson’s 180 yards against Georgia. While he did not have a touchdown catch in the 10-3 loss to the Bulldogs, he connected with DJ Uiagalelei for six receptions.

“Super proud of him and it was great to see him healthy, see him have a night,” Swinney said in his postgame press conference. “That’s going to be huge for him. That’s what we’ve seen in practice, obviously we didn’t hardly have him at all last year where he completed a game. So awesome to see. I think it’s gonna be big for his confidence.”

The California native has battled injuries throughout his time at Clemson. Entering Saturday night, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound wideout only had 24 catches for 323 yards in his career.

Ngata showed what he can be for Clemson when he is at full health. Swinney harped on the receiver earlier this summer, saying if Ngata takes his health seriously, he can develop into a first-round draft pick.

He flashed the potential in practices. And he finally flashed it in a game Saturday night at Bank of America Stadium. Having a fully-equipped Joseph Ngata is key for the Clemson offense, too. If Ngata can finally play like an All-ACC type receiver for the entirety of the season, he can be a top target for Uiagalelei. He will give defenses another Tigers receiver to worry about with Justyn Ross back. 

Dabo Swinney addresses Tigers offensive struggles

The Clemson offense struggled to piece together a successful offensive drive Saturday night against Georgia. With an offensive line that was constantly facing pressure — the Tigers allowed seven sacks — but quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei struggled with pocket awareness. The sophomore did not find some rhythm until the second half. 

In their first game without Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne, the Clemson offense looked stagnant. And while Georgia’s offense wasn’t much more impressive, the Bulldogs walked away with a 10-3 win. Uiagalalei’s pick-six in the first half was all Georgia needed to separate space. 

“We had some plays where we didn’t have the right timing, as far as quarterback throwing a quick game and it was a quick game,” Dabo Swinney said in his postgame press conference. “And just some miscues, some first game miscues. And listen, when you’re in a game like that, the margin for error is incredibly small. That’s the same for Georgia. They’re going to have the same stuff on tape. But that one play was the difference. There were a lot of bad plays, but it comes down to three or four. We didn’t make the three or four critical, critical plays. We had the opportunity and they capitalized. 

“DJ I thought didn’t really settle in until 2 1/2 quarters into the game. He’s a young player, he’s a great player. I promise you, that guy right there will display. The last quarter and half there, he was awesome. Did some really good things. But he took a couple sacks, there was a lot of thing he’ll see on tape that he’ll improve from.”