Clemson football will have a true-freshman starter at quarterback this week vs. Boston College
Ready or not, the D.J. Uiagalelei era is officially underway in the Clemson football program following a positive test that will sideline Trevor Lawrence for at least the Boston College game.
Though Uiagalelei has not been officially named the starter at the time of this writing, the overarching belief is that we’ll see the true-freshman in action as with first-string when the Tigers take the field Saturday afternoon in Death Valley against the Boston College Eagles.
Uiagalelei- the former No. 1 QB in the nation from last year’s recruiting class- has been used sparingly for Clemson football during his first few games, but will now be counted upon to be a leader and to run this offense as smooth as possible while Lawrence is out.
For those wondering, Lawrence is definitely out for the game Saturday against Boston College and only time will tell for the game against Notre Dame the next week. Lawrence’s positive test was on Wednesday and that day counts as part of the 10-day isolation period. That would put Lawrence getting back with the Clemson football program on Friday of next week assuming he was cleared by doctors and he could conceivably play in the game in South Bend.
With all of that up in the air, though, it’s time for the true-freshman to shine for Clemson football
There’s no guarantee that Lawrence will be back for the Notre Dame game. In the era of COVID-19, there’s really no guarantee for anything.
Instead, Clemson is going to have to rely on the true-freshman and will be preparing him as the starter for each of the next two weeks.
So, what should Clemson football fans expect from him?
- Look for the Tigers to run Travis Etienne and use Uiagalelei’s legs to their advantage, as well
- As the game progresses, they’ll open up the offense some but don’t expect him to be chucking the ball all over the field
- Uiagalelei is going to be asked to be a game-manager. Expect the Tigers to give him simple reads and for his major job to be to get the ball out to his playmakers in the passing game
- Eventually, we’re going to see Uiagalelei take a few shots down the field, but it will be once he has a comfort level within the offense.
Don’t come into this game- or the Notre Dame game- expect Uiagalelei to throw for 350 yards and four touchdown passes. Clemson is going to be conservative and the Tigers are going to rely on the legs of Etienne, as well as the entirety of that running back room to keep possession of the ball and to wear down Boston College.
Uiagalelei- no doubt- has the ability to throw the ball, but I wouldn’t expect him to have 25 or 30 passing attempts in this one. Instead, they’ll use it sparingly and attempt to let the offense come to him, rather than trying to force anything and putting the game in potential jeopardy.