Notre Dame's Al Golden understands why DJ Uiagalelei is the starter

DJ Uiagalelei returns to the site of his best career passing game, in 2020 at Notre Dame.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Fri Nov 04 07:00:05 GMT-04:00 2022

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden said he understands why the Clemson coaches say DJ Uiagalelei is the unquestioned starter.

Uiagalelei has been the starter for the Tigers during the current 14-game winning streak but was relieved in favor of Cade Klubnik during the third quarter of Clemson’s eventual 27-21 victory over Syracuse two weeks ago.

However, Golden said he has been impressed by what he’s seen out of Uiagalelei on film.

“Sometimes it happens. We knew going into Syracuse there was a lot of feast or famine,” Golden said. “There are a lot of get-after-you defenses, and they made some penetration. That was one of the issues. I don’t know how that factored into his success in that game or not, but I’m very impressed with the young man. To me, I can see why they keep saying he’s the starter. He has length, he can get the ball down the field. The run game, if you don’t keep him in the pocket, he’s gone. Any time he carries the ball, they have an extra blocker. Someone has to beat a block.

“He can throw it on the move. I’ve seen him make every throw. I’ve seen him hit the field out vs. post coverage or quarters. He has hit the seams. Once he gets the quarterback run game going, the play action that comes off it is challenging. Every game is its own dynamic, so I don’t know what went into that decision [to pull him] in [the Syracuse] game, but I’ve been impressed with him.”

Golden said the Irish know that Klubnik might make an appearance, but not much changes with the freshman on the field.

“Maybe it’s a little different if [Klubnik] is in there at quarterback, but not significantly different,” he said. “They’re both really talented. Extra time, idle time leads to creativity, no doubt about it.”

Golden then said he sees a Clemson offense that is hard to defend.

“It’s hard to be more creative than they are,” Golden said. “They’ll run gadgets anywhere on the field and make you pay for it. It’s not some loosely constructed thing where they hope it’s a double pass and it works. They’re pushing the ball downfield, they’re making explosive plays on some of those designs.

“We have to be ready for them. You can’t be crippled by them, but you have to get ready for them.

“You can literally get to the point where you’re worried about all these [gadget] things, because you build a book on someone and you’re looking at 50 of them. We have to get ready for a bunch of them, and they’re probably as good as any.”

He's also impressed by what he sees out of starting running back Will Shipley.

“He has power, he has explosion. He can lateral cut, he can protect, he will block on the quarterback runs, catch the ball on wheels and flares out of the backfield,” Golden said. “All dangerous. Really, really good. The way they used him is excellent.”