Uiagalelei says there is nothing wrong with a little adversity

Uiagalelei says adversity isn't always a bad thing.

by Nikki Hood - Staff Writer - Wed Sep 29 13:00:06 GMT-04:00 2021

CLEMSON – A little bit of adversity never hurt anyone.

The Clemson offense is off to a historically bad start. However, quarterback DJ Uiagalelei isn't ready to hit the panic button and is still fully confident in himself and his teammates.

Uiagalelei said it's not the game plan or the coaches who are responsible for the slow start; it all boils down to doing the little things right.

"I think the main thing is just execution. It starts with execution," Uiagalelei told the media earlier this week. "Everyone has to execute, including me. I think it comes down to basics, 100-percent. You've got to be able to do the basics right. As long as everyone executes and does their job. If everyone can do that, then it's a whole different story, and we're all perfectly fine. I have total confidence in our offense. We'll continue to keep grinding and keep working. This is about to be the fifth game, going into Boston College, and we still have a long season ahead of us. I think we'll be perfectly fine."

The first-year starter was asked if he thought the offensive players were putting too much pressure on themselves.

"Maybe. We know the expectations we have for ourselves," Uiagalelei said of his teammates. "We just haven't found it yet. We just have to keep digging. This is a little bit of adversity, but it will make us better."

As for himself, Uigalalei said he has a plan every time he takes the field.

"I put a lot of stuff on my plate already, but I'm perfectly fine with it," he said. "I know what I want to do when I step out onto the field every time. I know I want to make each and every throw, but I don't think I'm putting too much pressure on myself."

Uiagalelei – who has taken the brunt of the criticism for Clemson's slow start – said the execution and precision are there during practice, but for whatever reason, just hasn't translated to the game yet.

However, he's confident the offense will turn this around.

"We've all seen on the practice field that execution has not been a problem," he said. "We've been good and had solid weeks of practice. We've just got to be able to transfer from practice to the game. We know we're going to eventually do it, and we'll be perfectly fine, but right now, we haven't done it. I know we have a lot of confidence in ourselves and in ourselves and the team. We're ready for the challenge.

"This is a little bit of adversity, and there ain't nothing wrong with that. We'll come out greater than this."