Clemson football: What we need to see from DJ Uiagalelei vs. UGA

The wait is officially over for Clemson football fans.

After a long hiatus of eight months, the Tigers will finally take the field again this evening when they do battle with the Georgia Bulldogs in Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

Clemson and Georgia both come into the game ranked inside the top-five in the country and there are National Championship hopes surrounding both programs as we enter the 2021 season.

There will be some familiar faces for both teams, but there will also be some new names. Perhaps the biggest of those ‘new’ names is QB D.J. Uiagalelei.

What Clemson football needs from D.J. Uiagalelei in the first official game of the ‘Big Cinco Era’

We got a small taste of what Uiagalelei is capable of last season when he stepped in for Trevor Lawrence and started two games, throwing for nearly 800 yards and accounting for six touchdowns in that span.

Now, Lawrence is gone and it’s his team.

For Clemson to be successful against Georgia on Saturday night, Uiagalelei is going to have to do three things effectively:

1. Make good decisions and don’t turn the ball over
2. Find a way to make them pay on the deep ball
3. Play confident and show that you’re the unquestioned leader of this offense

It might go without saying, but making good decisions with the football and not throwing interceptions is going to be huge for both teams. Both Clemson and Georgia have elite defenses and when you look at the equal talent on both sides, an interception could be the difference in the game.

Uiagalelei needs to make good decisions and be accurate in those situations where his man is wide open.

In addition, we need to see him make Georgia pay on the deep ball. We know that the Bulldogs are going to send pressure and that means Uiagalelei is going to have to get the ball out quick. But we also know that UGA is going to play up and pressure those receivers. That’s where Uiagalelei has to make them pay.

If you’ve got these defensive backs– who are undoubtedly a step behind the Clemson WRs– lining up at the lines of scrimmage and pressing, you’ve got to make them pay. Taking a few shots down the field, and connecting, is a great way to make the Bulldogs play honest and take away some of their blitzing power.

Finally, Uiagalelei is going to have to be a leader. This is his offense now and we need to see him take command of the unit. He’s not ever going to be the ‘rah rah’ guy, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a leader and the truth of the matter is that this Clemson football team is going to count on him being just that this season, beginning with the UGA game.