Snap judgements: Clemson offense stuck in reverse in loss to Georgia

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There were two big areas of emphasis for Clemson this offseason after the way last year ended.

No. 1: Clemson wanted to fix its issues in the secondary and play more physical defensively after allowing Ohio State to do whatever it wanted to on offense in last year’s Sugar Bowl.

No. 2: Clemson wanted to play better on the offensive line, open up rushing lanes and give D.J. Uiagalelei time to throw after struggling up front at times last season.

Clemson did everything it needed to do defensively Saturday night against Georgia, holding the Bulldogs to only 3 offensive points. The Tigers played their assignments well, stopped the run and made JT Daniels look more like an average quarterback than a Heisman contender. Daniels passed for only 135 yards and was picked off once while failing to throw a touchdown pass.

But offensively it was a completely different story. Clemson was shut out for three quarters, D.J. Uiagalelei was sacked seven times and the Tigers finished with only 2 rushing yards. From start to finish, the Tigers never clicked.

The result was a 10-3 Georgia victory in front of a packed Bank of America Stadium. We break down what went right and what went wrong for Clemson with our snap judgements:

Clemson running game nonexistent

The Tigers entered the fourth quarter with (-19) rushing yards, before finishing the game with 2. Clemson rushed 23 times for 2 yards.

Of course most of that was because of sacks. Uiagalelei was sacked seven times for (-46) yards. Georgia ran timely blitzes that confused the offensive line at times. On some plays, the Bulldogs simply overpowered Clemson up front. And Uiagalelei held onto the ball too long at times, as well.

When you add it all up you have a Clemson offense that looked much like last year’s one that struggled with consistency, particularly up front. If you take away Clemson’s sacks, the Tigers still only managed 48 rushing yards on 16 carries.

Joseph Ngata finally breaks out

The junior receiver was described as having superstar potential for the last two years. Saturday night we finally saw it. Ngata caught six passes for 110 yards, far-and-away leading both teams in receiving yards. The California native made tough catches while hauling in six of his eight targets.

I said entering the season I was in wait-and-see mode on Ngata. He made me a believer Saturday night and looks ready to be a legit big-time playmaker alongside Justyn Ross.

D.J. Uiagalelei struggles in spotlight

Clemson’s star quarterback looked out of sync all night. He finished 19 of 37 passing for 178 yards and an interception. His interception just so happened to be a pick-six, which ultimately proved to be the difference in the game. Uiagalelei didn’t have a ton of help with protection or with the running game, but he also missed some throws and held onto the ball too long at times.

I said going into the year it was unfair to expect him to be the player in Year 1 as a starter that Trevor Lawrence was in Year 3. Uiagalelei will no doubt get better from this and still has superstar potential, but Saturday night wasn’t his best.