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Where Clemson football’s quarterback situation stands after loss to South Carolina

Another week.

Another season-altering loss.

Another TBD quarterback situation.

For the second time in a month, Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney defended quarterback DJ Uiagalelei after a poor performance while also declining to fully commit to Uiagalelei as the Tigers’ starter going forward.

On an afternoon when the majority of Clemson’s roster fell short of expectations, Uiagalelei completed just 8 of 29 passes for 99 yards, one touchdown, one interception and a 60.7 passer rating in a 31-30 home loss to top rival South Carolina.

Swinney said Clemson considered putting backup quarterback Cade Klubnik in the game after Uiagalelei had a minor hip injury in the second half, but Uiagalelei “felt like he was OK and we stuck with him.”

When asked if Klubnik would have an opportunity to “push” Uiagalelei in practice this week leading into next Saturday’s ACC championship game against North Carolina, Swinney simply responded, “We’ll see.”

He later declined to discuss if, or how, Uiagalelei and Klubnik would split first-team reps in practice this week after another shaky performance by the former quarterback.

“We’re not getting (into) any of that,” Swinney said. “We’re just moving on and getting ready for tomorrow.”

Defensive breakdowns, ill-timed fumbles and poor execution across the board plagued Clemson on Saturday at Memorial Stadium, but Uiagalelei’s errors were quite noticeable in a loss that all but drove the final nail into the coffin of the Tigers’ College Football Playoff chances.

After a respectable first half, Clemson (10-2, 8-0 ACC) mustered seven points and 86 yards of total offense in the second half while blowing a 14-point lead.

Most damning were the three drives directly following Mitch Jeter’s 35-yard fourth quarter field goal, which gave South Carolina a 31-30 lead with 10:54 remaining in the game. With Uiagalelei under center and Clemson’s postseason hopes on the line, here’s how they went:

  • Three plays, three yards, punt.

  • Two plays, 22 yards, interception.

  • Five plays, 20 yards, punt.

Clemson had poor field position on the latter two drives, starting at its own 2- and 3-yard line thanks to a superhuman effort from USC punter Kai Kroeger. And freshman receiver Antonio Williams fumbled with 2:05 remaining, depriving Uiagalelei a chance at one last attempt at a game-winning drive.

Still, that’s an alarming lack of production from the team ranked No. 8 in the country 12 games into the regular season.

Swinney and offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter were critical of Clemson’s wide receivers for numerous drops and also frustrated that they didn’t get star running back Will Shipley more involved. Shipley had 15 carries for 132 yards and a touchdown (8.8 yards per carry) but only touched the ball three times in the fourth quarter.

“DJ’s been our leader, man,” Streeter said. “He’s been our guy. There were a lot of drops tonight. That’s not freaking DJ’s fault. There’s other people on the field, you know? It’s not just DJ. DJ ran his ass off tonight.”

Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney before his team plays South Carolina on Saturday, November 26, 2022.
Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney before his team plays South Carolina on Saturday, November 26, 2022.

But Uiagalelei’s struggles were, once again, the most visible — especially in comparison with the statistics of South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler.

Rattler, the Oklahoma transfer, was dynamite for a second consecutive week, completing 25 of 39 passes for 360 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for a third. He was imperfect with two interceptions — one was in the red zone and another was returned for a touchdown — but made the sort of clutch and timely plays that can (and did) swing an emotional rivalry game.

It couldn’t have been a sharper contrast. Uiagalelei was once again good on the ground, with 51 yards and a touchdown. But his 27.6% completion percentage was by far a season low, and 59 of his 99 passing yards came on one throw to receiver Beaux Collins. Outside of that, he was 7 of 28 for 40 yards.

Missing throws and turning it over holding onto the ball too long, Uiagalelei reverted to the old tendencies that made his 2021 season such an up-and-down affair — and also defined his struggles against Syracuse and Notre Dame earlier this season.

“They played a lot of man the whole night and their DBs played good,” Uiagalelei said. “I had some opportunities: routes I should’ve hit, a couple of passes I should’ve made.”

Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (5) passes against South Carolina during fourth-quarter action in Clemson, S.C. on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022.
Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (5) passes against South Carolina during fourth-quarter action in Clemson, S.C. on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022.

Swinney previously described Uiagalelei as a quarterback who’d “earned the right” to return as starter, given how well he’d played across Clemson’s first seven games. But despite major improvements across the board — Uiagalelei has already set career highs in every passing and rushing statistic as a junior — his mistakes have hurt Clemson in key moments. Uiagalelei, Swinney said, was “never really in rhythm” Saturday.

“A couple bad decisions,” Swinney said of Uiagalelei. “A couple missed throws … he also made some nice plays, and we had a big drop. That’s football. When you get in rhythm, it’s really good. And it’s tough sledding sometimes when it’s not clicking for you.”

Klubnik, a former five-star recruit from Texas, hasn’t been much better. Outside of an impressive two-point conversion pass in a comeback win against Syracuse, his appearances in relief of a struggling Uiagalelei haven’t moved the needle for Clemson in terms of improved QB play.

As Clemson prepares for UNC and a future bowl opponent, it’s more of a long-term question that begs answers: What should the Tigers do at quarterback to get back to their winning ways? What can they do? Swinney wouldn’t reveal that Saturday, but Uiagalelei offered an answer.

“It definitely sucks losing, especially to South Carolina,” Uiagalelei said. “At the end of the day, you’ve gotta go back, watch the film, take ownership of what you did wrong and what you did right … we’ve got an ACC championship next week. Just gotta be able to move forward.”

Next Clemson game

Who: No. 8 Clemson (10-2, 8-0 ACC) vs. No. 17 North Carolina (9-3, 6-2 ACC)

What: 2022 ACC Football Championship Game

When: 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 3

Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte