CLEMSON, S.C. – The primary takeaway from Saturday’s spring football game at Clemson was that it should have never been this cold in Clemson, South Carolina, on the second Saturday in April.
Both of the leading contenders to be the Tigers’ starter at quarterback were a bit chilly as well, with incumbent DJ Uiagalelei overthrowing multiple receivers, which was a problem that plagued him last season. Uiagalelei wound up completing 17 of 36 passess for a 47 percent success rate, which is not a “winning” percentage by any measure, and was intercepted once.
Freshman Cade Klubnik was a bit better, connecting on 15 of 23 passes for a 65 percent completion rate. He also had the lone touchdown pass of the day.
WHAT WE LEARNED: Takeaways from Clemson spring game: D.J. Uiagalelei same shaky starter
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The majority of the 35,000 fans in attendance on a blustery Saturday were focused on the quarterbacks, and rightly so. The success of a team ultimately lives or dies based on the efficiency of the guy behind center, so it’s imperative that whoever wins the job possesses plenty of confidence as well as an accurate touch and solid decision-making skills.
There were moments of both good and bad in those regards Saturday for Uiagalelei and Klubnik, but the bottom line was that their performances appeared to lay the groundwork for a more intense competition come fall.
Or did it?
Apparently Uiagalelei did enough beyond our purview to maintain his standing as “the guy.”
Orange squad quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei (5) passes during the first quarter of the 2022 Orange vs White Spring Game at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina Apr 9, 2022; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; at Memorial Stadium.
“DJ’s definitely our starter,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney Swinney said. “He’s had a great spring and not done anything to not be the starter. I’m proud of DJ. We’re missing a lot of pieces, but he did what he needed to do…