With a 35-12 win over Furman, Clemson goes into week three with a 2-0 record. Moving into the Tigers’ matchup with Louisiana Tech in week three, there are a few main takeaways from the victory over the Paladins.
Paws up: DJ Uiagalelei’s confidence
After a slow first half offensively versus Georgia Tech in week one, it seemed that something connected for Uiagalelei in the second half versus the Yellow Jackets, and that confidence carried over to Saturday.
From the onset of the game, Uiagalelei was accurate with his throws and was able to find Beaux Collins downfield for a 40-yard completion at the 13:35 mark in the first quarter.
That pass got the ball rolling on offense and led to Will Shipley’s 1-yd score for the Tigers’ first touchdown of the game.
The key stat of improvement for Uiagalelei was his completion percentage, which improved to 77.7%.
Offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter spoke to the media after the win and was pleased with what he saw from his starting signal-caller against the Paladins.
“He just grew, even more, this week,” Streeter said. “He got better. I can tell his confidence was sky high, and that’s the biggest thing in the quarterback position. It’s having that confidence, and he played well. He made some big plays and created some big plays. He was really, really accurate.”
Paws down: Clemson’s defensive performance
At the conclusion of the first half, the Paladins had 214 total yards on offense.
In comparison, Georgia Tech picked up 237 total yards on offense in the entire game in week one.
By the end of the game, Furman’s offense had 384 total yards, which was eight more yards than Clemson recorded.
Defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin spoke to media following the game, where he expressed the need to ‘clean up’ on defense but was proud of his unit for the rebound they made in just five days since their last game.
“We have to work to improve first and second down efficiency,” Goodwin said. “Obviously, that ties into third down, a lot of third and short and third and mediums.”
Paws up: Will Shipley
Standout running back for the Tigers, Will Shipley, had an impressive showing versus Furman.
Shipley picked up 68 rushing yards on the day, averaging 6.8 yards per carry
Shipley also had two rushing touchdowns on the day. It was not just Shipley’s speed that helped, but his ability to find openings in the defense and pick up those few extra yards on important plays.
Paws up: E11a Strong
Clemson football honored Ella Bresee, the younger sister of Bryan Bresee, on Saturday with E11a Strong.
Ella was diagnosed with brain cancer last year and continues to fight.
She was with the team the entire week and had expected to watch her brother play on Saturday, but she had to return to Washington D.C. due to some complications.
Swinney reflected on the love the team has for the Bresee family and how Ella’s strength and toughness are truly remarkable.
“I’m proud of our team and how they have come alongside Bryan and his family,” Swinney said.
“She’s the toughest Bresee in that whole family. It’s just a really tough time right now for all of them. So, to be able to kind of come alongside of them, you can’t take the pain away, but you can share with them and walk with them. That’s what our team is trying to do with Bryan.”