Trevor Lawrence left some pretty big shoes to fill upon his departure from the Clemson Tigers football program. His successor D.J. Uiagalelei probably felt the weight in his first contest sans Lawrence.
The Clemson product turned Jacksonville Jaguar was a surprise attendee of the opening loss, which could have placed some added pressure on his replacement.
Look who pulled up in Charlotte š@Trevorlawrencee | @ClemsonFB pic.twitter.com/vxKdTSFolT
ā ACC Football (@ACCFootball) September 4, 2021
The No. 3 ranked Clemson Tigers were nearly blanked in their season-opening loss to the No. 5 ranked Georgia Bulldogs, falling 10-3 in a game without any offensive touchdowns. The biggest play of the game came off a Uiagalelei thrown interception which turned into a 74-yard return for a TD by Georgia's Christopher Smith.
Christopher Smith picks off DJ Uiagalelei and returns it 74 yards for a TD! pic.twitter.com/zsQYELFnWZ
ā Fanatics View (@fanaticsview) September 5, 2021
Clemson Tigers coach Dabo Swinney put the blame squarely on receiver Justyn Ross, arguing that he unnecessarily kept running the slant which led to the pick-6.
Via ESPN:
āThatās the receiver putting the quarterback in bad spot,ā Swinney said. āHe just didnāt make the right decision.ā
But the Clemson QB wasn't cowering away from the blame.
āI didn't play well today and everyone could see that,ā Uiagalelei said.
D.J. Uiagalelei finished the contest connecting on 19 of 37 passes thrown for 178 yards, no TDs, and one INT, garnering a miserable QB rating of 36.7.
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