CLEMSON FOOTBALL

Tony Elliott looking for Uiagalelei's best game as Wake Forest comes calling
Uiagalelei will have to the run the football against Wake Forest.

Tony Elliott looking for Uiagalelei's best game as Wake Forest comes calling


by - Senior Writer -

CLEMSON – Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott knows that quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has struggled with his accuracy this season, but he reiterated earlier this week that not all of the throws are Uiagalelei’s fault. He knows Uiagalelei will not only have to throw the ball with accuracy this week, but also he's going to have to run it for the offense to be effective.

In fact, Uiagalelei injured his throwing hand against UConn when the interior of the Huskies’ defensive line generated a push and Uiagalelei’s hand smacked against a helmet. The fact that the pocket got pushed around is one of the reasons some of his throws were off the mark.

"(UConn) got a lot of push. That No. 57 for them is a big guy, 330 pounds. Got some push on our guards and center,” Elliott said. "When you go back and watch it, he wasn't able to follow through on some of those balls. We are still making sure his feet are pointed on-target and he's not throwing off-balance and trying to make sure he's not throwing across his body."

Elliott said Uiagalelei didn’t mention the injuries after the game.

"What you're learning about him is he's committed to the program and doing whatever it takes,” he said. “If he's got to play hurt, he'll play hurt."

The Wake Forest defense has struggled this season, ranking 107th nationally in giving up 440 yards per game. The Demon Deacons are giving up a respectable 29.1 points per game but has given up a whopping 40 points per game over the last six games. Considering that includes giving up just seven to Duke, other teams are finding the endzone early and often.

"They play hard. They are going to be undersized in some spots, but what they lack in physical stature, they make up in heart, effort, toughness,” Elliott said. “The defensive line steps in unison and are very good with their hand placement. They are confident in playing man coverage. They blitz when they need to. You just see a group playing with a ton of confidence. They know what they're supposed to do and they're having fun doing it."

Against Clemson, the Demon Deacons are likely to play man coverage on the outside and stack the box, forcing the Tigers to beat them through the air. One thing that could neutralize that strategy is a running quarterback, even though Uiagalelei is battling a sore knee.

"They are going to force you to have to run the quarterback in order to establish the run game,” Elliott said. “From there, you can use play-action to take advantage of the one-on-one coverage on the outside. So definitely will have to be ready. All hands on deck, all bullets in the gun ready to fire."

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