Clemson football may have won yet again on Saturday, but it was far from the usual dominant performance. Facing off against undefeated Syracuse at home, the Tigers struggled mightily and trailed 21-10 heading into halftime. They came back to win 27-21, but it was easily their least impressive performance this season. A big part of Clemson's struggles was poor play from quarterback DJ Uiagalelei.
After a great start to this season, the California native had a dreadful performance against the Orange. Uiagalelei finished with a season-low 138 yards and did not throw a touchdown for the first time this campaign, on top of throwing two interceptions.
After Uiagalelei threw his second pick, head coach Dabo Swinney made the decision to pull him out of the game. Highly-touted freshman Cade Klubnik entered in his place and helped the Tigers come back to get the win. Now, there is seemingly a quarterback controversy in Clemson.
While Klubnik deserves credit for coming in and leading the team back, this is still Uiagalelei's job. Let's go over just a few reasons why the Tigers should stick with Uiagalelei going forward.
3. Swinney has confidence in DJ
A head coach's confidence is one of the most important traits for a quarterback to succeed, and DJ Uiagalelei can rest easy knowing he always has Swinney's trust. Throughout his rough 2021 season, Swinney constantly defended his quarterback against the endless calls for his job. He maintained that confidence throughout the offseason, which has contributed to Uiagalelei's remarkable turnaround this season.
Even after Uiagalelei struggled on Saturday, Swinney still had his back. The Tigers' head coach definitively stated that Uiagalelei is the team's starter immediately after the game.
“Sometimes Steph Curry goes 2-for-25,” Swinney said, per the Athletic. “DJ’s our quarterback, there ain’t no question about that.”
It's a crazy idea, but a coach with two national championships might know his own players better than fans online. Swinney's vote of confidence is huge for Uiagalelei, and he knows what's best for his team.
2. It's only one bad game
Yes, Uiagalelei had a bad game against Syracuse on Saturday. However, that shouldn't overshadow all the good he has done this season. He bet on himself to improve after a poor 2021 season, and it paid off through the first half of the season.
In the last four games before Syracuse, Uiagalelei completed 80 of 125 passes for 1,003 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also threw only one pick during that stretch, just his second on the season. That stretch came against four ACC Atlantic rivals, Wake Forest, NC State, Boston College and Florida State, so they weren't easy opponents either.
With the way fans online were talking about him, one would think that Uiagalelei has been awful all season. However, that is very far for the truth, and he played very well in previous games.
If Uiagalelei continues to underperform, then there may be an argument to bench him. As it is, though, benching him after one poor performance is very overreactive.
1. DJ gives Clemson the best chance to win
Klubnik, the top-rated quarterback of the 2022 recurring class according to most outlets, has the higher ceiling than Uiagalelei, that is indisputable. However, when discussing the better quarterback right now, Uiagalelei takes the edge.
Even though Klubnik sparked the Tigers' comeback, he didn't have to do much. The freshman made just four pass attempts, completing two of them for just 19 yards. The reality is that Clemson's run game and defense played a much bigger role in the comeback than Klubnik himself.
There is also a massive experience gap between the two signal-callers. Uiagalelei is in his third season with the Tigers and knows the offense very well, while Klubnik has far less experience as just a freshman. Uiagalelei knows the scheme much better, and has shown he can run it effectively.
Klubnik will be a top quarterback soon, but he isn't close to that yet. For now, DJ Uiagalelei gives the Tigers the best shot to win it all this season.
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