DJ Uiagalelei's Confidence, Playmaking Grow in Clemson's Win over Furman

Clemson's starting quarterback is playing loose, moving around better and seems to have an improved feel for the game.

CLEMSON, S.C. — DJ Uiagalelei's confidence appears to be taking off. 

Clemson's starting quarterback is playing loose, moving around better and seems to have an improved feel for the game. 

In what he described as a "solid" performance against Furman, Uiagalelei completed a career-high 78 percent of his passes and led the Tigers on scoring drives in five of their first six drives in a 35-12 victory on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. 

"I feel like today I played with a lot of confidence," Uiagalelei said after the game. "A lot of plays, I was just out there feeling it, extending plays in my legs, making plays, throwing with confidence. I feel real confident. Coming to the game, just lean on the preparation I put in all week, all summer. I felt like I was just ready to go, so I felt really prepared today."

Uiagalelei was 19-of-32 for 210 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions against Georgia Tech on Monday night. Against Furman, he was 21-of-27 passing for 231 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. 

"I felt more in control of the game," Uiagalelei said. "I felt comfortable back there. I think that's the biggest thing. I felt like I was just playing out there, just having fun, feeling comfortable throwing the rock. I got into a rhythm and just kept rolling."

It was an excellent start to the game as Uiagalelei completed his first six passes and 12 of his first 13. Uiagalelei threw his second TD of the season on a 2-yard scoring strike to tight end Jake Briningstool for a 14-3 lead in the first quarter.

He followed that up with a third-quarter touchdown throw to Beaux Collins on a perfect fade pass. 

"I was kind of just trying to throw it away, but trying to give him a chance at the same time," Uiagalelei said. "He made a heck of a grab and it turned into six (points)."

Uiagalelei also ran the ball five times for 36 yards, and he extended more plays with his legs, including making a difficult completion while a defender pulled him to the ground.

"I thought I ran the ball a lot better today. Whenever I had a chance to scramble to make plays, that's one thing I wish I had back in the first game. I tried to work on that this week, just making more plays with my legs and staying up on my feet. I think I did a better job of that. 

"I did a better job stepping up in the pocket with pressure around me."

Uiagalelei, though, still believes there's a lot of room for improvement. The Tigers didn't score again after that third-quarter touchdown pass, and Uiagaelei had a couple of throws he wanted back. 

He killed a drive with an interception on a pass intended for Brannon Spector that went off the WR's hand and into the clutches of a Furman defender. The QB said he should've put the throw on Spector's chest or looked for a different receiver. 

"That was on me,' Uiagalelei said. "Spec did the right thing. It was just a bad ball, a bad decision on me."

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