Nobody would argue that playing against DJ Uiagalelei is a greater challenge than playing against Trevor Lawrence, but Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said preparing for Clemson’s freshman quarterback was.
“It was actually more difficult,” Kelly said of getting ready to face Uiagalelei leading up to the Irish’s game against the Tigers back on Nov. 7th.
Lawrence was sidelined with COVID-19 for the Notre Dame game and the game at Boston College a week before. Uiagalelei certainly proved he was talented in his first career start, a 34-28 win over the Eagles, throwing for 342 yards and two touchdowns.
Against Notre Dame, he was even better, throwing for 439 yards and two scores while rushing for another in a losing effort.
“We weren't sure what DJ's skillset was across the board,” said Kelly. “We didn't have enough film to really evaluate him…He was outstanding.
"We sensed he wasn't the same kind of runner, but we had to respect his ability to run read-option and QB runs. We tried to have some things in there that a young quarterback might not have seen before, but that didn't work so well. He did pretty good."
Kelly doesn’t have to worry about prepping for Uiagalelei for Saturday’s rematch against Clemson in the ACC Championship Game, but that’s the bad news.
While not being disrespectful, Kelly has generally downplayed what Lawrence’s availability means for the sequel.
Kelly can certainly point to the numbers Uiagalelei posted in the first game, but Lawrence wouldn’t be widely considered the best player at the most important position and the no-doubt #1 overall pick in the next NFL Draft if he wasn’t a difference-maker.
Kelly has another point in that his defense needs to improve its performance against the pass regardless of who’s throwing the passes.
"We've got to play better,” he said. “There's no doubt about that. We did a good job against the run.
“There's some things we're going to have to do much better in the passing game. We're going to have to continue to keep their running game in check, but to the level of giving up 400-plus yards, we can't afford to do that again. There's no doubt about that."
Still, it’s clear shutting down Travis Etienne priority number one. The Clemson running back was held to just 28 rushing yards against the Irish in the first meeting, the fewest yards the senior All-American had rushed for since he played against Alabama in the National Championship Game his freshman year.
“He's an outstanding player,” Kelly said of Etienne. “You have to know where he is and you have to have your run fits down. You have to be disciplined. It's a team defensive effort. We're going to have to have a similar one. He's an explosive football player we have such great respect for.
“When you put your game plan together, the first thing you have to think of is how you're going to slow him down—tremendous respect for him. We're going to have to get him on the ground and make sure he doesn't get out on the second level. If he gets out to the second level, he's a problem. You have to get him before he gets started and that means controlling the line of scrimmage. It starts with controlling the line of scrimmage and being sure tacklers.”
