DJ Uiagalelei's top 5 games with Clemson football before transferring to Oregon State
Having transferred from Clemson, Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei already has experience in big college football games, and he likely will be the Beavers’ starter this season.
“I thought he was in command, he was accurate,” Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith said about Uiagalelei’s performance during Saturday’s scrimmage. “I think he did a lot of good things.”
Uiagalelei, a 6-foot-4 junior from Inland Empire, California, spent three seasons at Clemson.
He was a five-star recruit out of high school, the No. 1 pro style quarterback in the 2020 class.
“I thought it was good, I felt comfortable. That’s the main thing, I wanted to come out here and feel comfortable,” Uiagalelei said after Saturday’s scrimmage. “For me, I want to get better with the red zone.”
While at Clemson, Uiagalelei played in 35 games, completing 59% of his passes for 5,681 yards, 36 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
He also rushed for 913 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Here is a look at Uiagalelei’s top-5 performances so far as a college quarterback.
1: Clemson 51, Wake Forest 45 (2OT) — Sept. 24, 2022
No. 5 Clemson played at No. 21 Wake Forest in a battle of unbeaten ACC teams, both 3-0.
Uiagalelei threw for 371 yards, with five touchdowns and no interceptions.
He also rushed for 52 yards.
In overtime, Uiagalelei threw the game-tying and game-winning touchdowns.
Clemson remained undefeated and handed Wake Forest its first loss of the season.
2: Clemson 30, NC State 20 — Oct. 1, 2022
No. 5 Clemson hosted No. 10 NC State in a big ACC showdown.
It was a close game throughout, but Uiagalelei scored on a 9-yard touchdown run to put the game away for Clemson.
Uiagalelei finished with 209 passing yards and one passing touchdown, as well as 73 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
With the win, Clemson improved to 5-0.
3: Clemson 34, Florida State 28 — Oct. 15, 2022
Unbeaten No. 4 Clemson (6-0) played at Florida State (4-2).
The Tigers jumped out to a 34-14 lead and held on late for the win.
In the game, Uiagalelei threw for 203 yards and accounted for four touchdowns (three passing and one rushing).
With the victory, Clemson improved to 7-0 and remained ranked in the top five in the country.
4: Clemson 40, Miami 10 — Nov. 19, 2022
No. 9 Clemson (9-1) hosted a struggling Miami team that came into the matchup with a 5-5 record.
The Tigers jumped out to a 24-0 halftime lead behind Uiagalelei’s three first-half touchdowns (two passing and one rushing).
Uiagalelei finished with 233 passing yards and 89 rushing yards, with the two passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and one interception.
Clemson improved to 10-1 with the victory.
5: Clemson 30, Louisville 24 — Nov. 6, 2021
Late in the 2021 season, unranked Clemson had struggled to a 5-3 record coming into its road matchup at Louisville (4-4).
The Tigers trailed 17-7 in the second quarter, but then rallied, and Uiagalelei scored on an 8-yard touchdown run to put Clemson up 27-24 with about four minutes left, and the Tigers won 30-24.
In the game, Uiagalelei threw for 220 yards and two touchdowns, along with the rushing touchdown.
Clemson went on to finish 10-3 and ranked No. 14 in the AP poll.
Statesman Journal reporter Pete Martini covers college and high school sports. He can be reached at pmartini@StatesmanJournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: DJ Uiagalelei's top 5 games with Clemson before coming to Oregon State
