Clemson football had a shaky start, but they finished strong in their season opener against Georgia Tech on Monday. No. 4 Clemson kicked off their 2022 college football season by defeating the Yellow Jackets, 41-10, at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Clemson's defense lived up to expectations. Clemson's offense, on the other hand, seemed to be a work in progress. The Tigers got plenty from their defense and just enough from their offense to beat Georgia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game on Monday night.

As the Tigers passed their first test of 2022, quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei scored two touchdowns, and running back Will Shipley added two more. A fearsome defense also made key plays all night against the Yellow Jackets. A win is still a win, of course, but it was not without flaws.

The Tigers basically looked a lot like they did last season when they played in front of a primetime ESPN audience in the last game of college football's Week 1 schedule.

Having said that, here are three takeaways from the Clemson Tigers' win over Georgia Tech.

3. Special teams stepped up

Clemson football's special teams looked even better than the team's offense at times.

To illustrate, during the contest, the Tigers' special teams blocked two punts. Carson Connelly blocked a kick early in the second quarter, resulting in the Tigers' first score of the game, and freshman Wade Woodaz blocked another midway through the fourth, setting up Clemson deep in Georgia Tech territory. Will Shipley scored from three yards out four plays later to put the Tigers ahead 34-10.

After receiving mixed reviews before the season began, Clemson's punting game was also outstanding on Monday night. Aiden Swanson was reliable, averaging more than 45 yards on five tries with a long of 51 yards.

All game long, the special teams gave Clemson a lift, and it was certainly for good measure.

2. Opportunistic defense

Clemson's renowned defense made key plays all night against the Yellow Jackets. Wes Goodwin's defense limited Georgia Tech to less than 300 yards of offense. Aside from a few successful screens, the Tigers mainly held the Yellow Jackets at bay.

K.J. Henry was the boss. Barrett Carter was all over the field making plays. And the defense accomplished it without depending too much on the blitz. Georgia Tech was also 2-of-16 on third down attempts.

Clemson also dominated the backfield with seven tackles for loss. For instance, linebacker Barrett Carter streaked across the field, and safety Andrew Mukuba intercepted Georgia Tech on the game's opening play from scrimmage. Clemson football held the Yellow Jackets to 237 total yards and only 3.6 yards per play.

Once the Tigers' defense kinda cooled down, allowing a field goal and a touchdown on successive Georgia Tech drives to trim the score to 14-10, the offense was there to produce consecutive scoring drives and, eventually, 27 unanswered points.

In this particular encounter, the defense set the tone, and the offense just mopped up the field thereafter.

1. D.J. Uiagalelei was good enough

Clemson QB D.J. Uiagalelei was good, not great. Actually, he wasn't all that good, especially early on.

He was, however, just good enough until the finish, preserving the opening win of the Tigers' 2022 season. Of course, he was aided by possibly the finest defense in the country. That was more than enough offense to outperform their 14-8 victory against the Yellow Jackets last season, which eventually led to a 10-win season and a bowl triumph over Iowa State.

Uiagalelei's first two possessions were so terrible that fans were calling for freshman Cade Klubnik to get some burn on the pitch. Uiagalelei botched a snap from center on third down, destroying the Tigers' first offensive opportunity and fumbling away their second.

Uiagalelei regained his composure, though, and drove Clemson to a couple of first-half touchdowns. Those put the Tigers up 14-3 at the break.

He completed the game hitting 60 percent of his passes and making better decisions than he did at times last season. He also accomplished it without much help from his offensive line. While it was far from ideal, it was a step in the right direction for Uiagalelei.

When the dust settled, he was just good enough, and even showed flashes of his previous Heisman Trophy finalist self, to put fourth-ranked Clemson in contention for a spot in the College Football Playoffs.