Clemson went to South Bend with an 8-0 record but trailed 14-0 at the half. The
Tigers began their second series in the third quarter backed up near their goal line, and Uiagalelei drove them near midfield before the drive stalled. Klubnik entered the game on the next series but was picked off on the second play, and Clemson stumbled to a 35-14 loss.
“I don’t think my offensive coordinator knew either (that head coach Dabo Swinney wanted to make the change),” he said. “(Dabo said) ‘I just want to get a spark.’ I was pissed, like, ‘What do you mean a spark? We just had our best drive right there. I’m doing exactly what you’re telling me to do.’”
Uiagalelei felt Swinney had lost confidence in him that went beyond that game. There were games, he said, when he felt the coaches were reluctant to call pass plays in the second half.
“You can feel that too as a player,” he said. “You know sometimes how they call plays; like calling plays scared, timid. Not opening it up 100 percent because they don’t trust the quarterback. I felt that definitely at times. For the quarterback that is tough, like, ‘Man, they don’t trust you.’ They’re saying, ‘Yeah, we trust you, but their actions don’t show it.’ And it’s not just me who sees it, all the other players see it as well. ‘Man, why aren’t we throwing the ball? It’s wide open.’ It was tough.”
theathletic.com
