With NC State Up Next, Uiagalelei and Clemson Offense Getting Swagger Back At Right Time

Clemson's offense, led by DJ Uiagalelei, is hitting its stride at an opportune time seeing as the Tigers face one of its stiffest challenges to date this weekend, as NC State brings its veteran-laden defense to Death Valley.

Jason Priester All Clemson

Clemson's offense has come a long way since that opening half against Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

While there have still been some ups and downs over the past few weeks, the Tigers seem to have found their groove. Clemson is coming off its best offensive showing of the season, totaling 559 yards in the 51-45 double-overtime win over Wake Forest.

DJ Uiagalelei had his most productive day since his freshman season, as the junior quarterback went 26-of-41 for 371 passing yards, with five touchdowns and no turnovers. 

In short, Uiagalelei and the offense are finding their swagger and with the No. 5 Tigers set to host No. 10 NC State this weekend, with ESPN's "College GameDay" also set to be on hand, the timing couldn't be better.

"I feel like as an offense, we keep getting better each and every game," Uiagalelei said. "The sky's the limit with what we can do on offense and I feel like last week a lot of stuff started coming together. I feel like we did a really good job of growing in the right direction."

Through four games, Clemson is averaging 44 points and 456 yards of offense per game. Uiagalelei has already gone over the 1,000-yard mark in passing yards and has 10 touchdowns to just one interception. He's also completed 16 passes of 20 yards of more, good for most in the Power-5.

It's a stark turnaround from a season ago when the Tigers averaged just 26 points and 191 passing yards per game, and while Uiagalelei insists he never lost his swagger in 2021, he did struggle with confidence at times. 

During the offseason, the junior quarterback was determined to be better, dedicating himself to being in better shape both physically and mentally. The work he put in has been well documented, and the fruits of that labor are now paying off, for both himself and the offense as a whole.

"I don't think I lost my swagger," he said. "I always put in the work and stuff like that but I felt like it was just sometimes I gotta dig a little deeper, dig a little bit deeper. And I feel like this year, I just tried to put everything on the table. From the offseason to the summer, to the season each and every week. Just go out there and put everything I can into it so I know in the back of my mind that I did everything possible for myself to be ready for the game."

While the Tigers are no doubt rolling on the offensive side of the ball, Uiagalelei knows the Wolfpack defense will present a whole new set of challenges, and the junior quarterback is excited about meeting that head-on.

"It definitely brings a challenge," Uiagalelei said. "It's a little different than what normal defenses do. They play with that three high structure. So it'll be a great challenge for us. Got to be able to get into the film room, get some tips and reminders, be able to know what's going on. So it'll be a great be a great challenge for us."

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