Uiagalelei’s comeback
Freshman quarterback rallies Tigers from 18- point deficit
CLEMSON, S. C. » Freshman DJ Uiagalelei already made Clemson history by leading the biggest comeback in the history of Death Valley. He’ll get the chance to make even more next week with Trevor Lawrence ruled out for the showdown with No 4 Notre Dame due to COVID- 19.
Uiagalelei stepped in for Lawrence on Saturday and rallied the top- ranked Tigers to a 34- 28 victory over Boston College after they fell behind by 18 points.
Rattled at facing the Fighting Irish? The kid from California sure doesn’t sound like it.
“It’s the same mindset that I had this week,” Uiagalelei said. “Start watching some film tomorrow to get ready for another game.”
Smooth and calm, Uiagalelei looked readymade for any challenge after leading Clemson back from 28- 10 deficit, a rally that surpassed a 17- point come back from 35- 18 down at home in a win over Virginia in 1966.
“I’ve been preparing for this ever since I got to Clemson,” he said.
Although, he and his teammates probably didn’t anticipate trailing by double- digits late in the second quarter.
“Being down 18 is not a lot of points,” Uiagalelei said with his cool, California confidence. “We all had complete confidence in ourselves that if we could execute, we’d get back in it,” he said.
Travis Etienne became the Atlantic Coast Conference’s career rushing leader and his second TD put the Tigers ( 7- 0, 6- 0) ahead for good. A jarring week for Clemson ended with its 28th straight win over league competition, 10th straight over the Eagles and 27th in a row at home.
Clemson was missing several key players. Along with Lawrence, starting linebackers James Skalski and Mike Jones Jr. were out with injuries.
The Eagles ( 4- 3, 3- 3) pounced quickly, putting Clemson in a 28- 10 hole in the second quarter with the virus- reduced crowd stunned to near silence.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney told his team at halftime, “Don’t flinch.”
“It’s been a long time since we’ve been down like this,” he said. “We’re fixing to find out what this team’s made of.”
It’s made of highly talented players ready for the moment like Uiagalelei, from Inland Empire near Los Angeles who showed why he was a five- star prospect coveted by every college power and the heir apparent once Lawrence leaves for the NFL.
Uiagalelei ran for a 30- yard TD on Clemson’s opening third- quarter drive to begin the comeback, then threw an 8- yard scoring strike to Amari Rodgers that drew the Tigers to 2826. Etienne, Clemson’s other Heisman contender, put the Tigers in front for good with a 17- yard touchdown run with 11: 34 to go.