Clemson Football

No. 5 Clemson earned its biggest win of the season and remains unbeaten after taking down No. 10 North Carolina State 30-20 on Saturday.

With the result, Tigers star DJ Uiagalelei continued to breathe some life into his fledgling Heisman Trophy campaign. The junior quarterback finished 21-of-30 through the air for 209 yards and one touchdown and ran for another 73 yards and two scores.

Uiagalelei displayed his touch on a seven-yard touchdown pass to Jake Briningstool in the third quarter—the kind of throw that won't go unnoticed by NFL scouts.

In general, his poise in the pocket is a significant departure from 2021, when he finished with more interceptions than touchdowns and completed just 55.6 percent of his passes.

The 6'4", 235-pound signal-caller has faced lofty expectations dating back to high school because of his size and athleticism. After his development got derailed, he appears to be firmly back on track.

When it comes to the Heisman race, Uiagalelei remains an outsider.

Ohio State's CJ Stroud arguably has the inside track, and reigning winner Bryce Young is right behind. The Alabama quarterback suffered a shoulder injury against Arkansas, though, so his availability going forward is a bit unclear. Young's exit Saturday might have opened the door for another contender, teammate Jahmyr Gibbs anyway.

Even if the Heisman Trophy is a long shot for Uiagalelei, his improvement puts Clemson on solid footing for a College Football Playoff bid.

The No. 5 Clemson Tigers defeated the No. 21 Wake Forest Demon Deacons 51-45 on Saturday in double overtime, but head coach Dabo Swinney isn't too happy with his defense.

Swinney's defense didn't force a single turnover and allowed Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman to complete 20-of-29 passes for 337 yards and a whopping six touchdowns.

Demon Deacons wide receiver Jahmal Banks also torched the Clemson defense, catching six passes for 141 yards and two scores, and the team's rushing offense managed 110 yards for a total of 447 yards of offense.

However, Clemson was without some key defensive pieces in the secondary on Saturday, including safety Andrew Mukuba and cornerbacks Sheridan Jones and Malcolm Greene, due to injury.

So, it's safe to say at least some of the team's struggles on defense were due to those losses in the secondary.

The Tigers are back in action next weekend against No. 12 NC State.

DJ Uiagalelei's five passing touchdowns allowed No. 5 Clemson to survive No. 21 Wake Forest's upset bid Saturday.

The Tigers held on for a 51-45 double-overtime victory over their ACC rival thanks to Davis Allen's 21-yard touchdown catch from Uiagalelei to start the extra frame.

Wake Forest got the ball last with an opportunity to win the game, but the offense only managed to gain four yards, and Sam Hartman's pass to A.T. Perry on fourth-and-6 was incomplete.

Despite being ranked No. 4 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll, Clemson had a lot to prove this season.

Uiagalelei, in particular, was going to be under the microscope after a disappointing sophomore campaign in 2021 when he had more interceptions (10) than passing touchdowns (nine). The California native arrived at Clemson with a lot of hype as a 5-star prospect and top-ranked pro-style quarterback in the 2020 recruiting class, according to 247Sports.

Through four games, it certainly looks like Uiagalelei has taken a huge step forward. His five touchdowns Saturday gave him 10 for the season. He went 26-of-41 for 371 yards against Wake. The 21-year-old has only thrown one interception on 129 attempts so far.

The Tigers defense did get challenged in its first major test of the season. Clemson allowed 447 yards of offense to Wake Forest. Hartman was terrific in the loss, completing 20 of 29 attempts for 337 yards with six scores and no interceptions.

The Demon Deacons put up 21 points in the third quarter and took a 38-35 lead with 8:07 remaining in the fourth quarter on Matthew Dennis' 29-yard field goal.

Antonio Williams set his team up with good field position thanks to a 26-yard kickoff return that got the Tigers out to their own 48-yard line. Their drive stalled after seven plays, but B.T. Potter drilled a 52-yard field goal to tie the score.

After trading touchdowns in the first overtime period, Uiagalelei hit Allen on 3rd-and-6 from Wake's 21-yard line for the game-winning score.

The loss drops Wake Forest to 3-1 on the season, but head coach Dave Clawson's squad continues to play well coming off an 11-win campaign in 2021.

Clemson is off to a 4-0 start with possibly its most difficult regular-season opponent looming. Head coach Dabo Swinney's squad will host No. 12 North Carolina State on Oct. 1. No. 25 Miami is the only other currently ranked team still on the schedule (Nov. 19).

Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Bresee will not play in Saturday's game against Louisiana Tech following the death of his younger sister, Ella Bresee, who was just 15 years old, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN).

Ella Bresee died Thursday after being diagnosed with brain cancer 17 months ago.

Bresee played in Clemson's win over Furman last week before returning home to be with his family. A service for Ella Bresee will be held Tuesday in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said that he learned a lot from Ella Bresee.

"I am stronger today for having experienced Ella's strength and courage," he said.

Bresee committed to Clemson in April 2019 out of Damascus High School in Maryland. In two games this season, he has posted 0.5 sacks, 6.0 tackles and 2.0 tackles for a loss.

Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Bresee announced Thursday his 15-year-old sister, Ella, died from cancer.

The Associated Press reported Ella was "battling an aggressive form of brain cancer." Bryan posted a statement on Instagram alongside pictures with his sister:

"My beautiful sister Ella you amazed me every single day with the fight that you put up and how joyful you were constantly through this battle. Never did I think I would be sitting here today saying bye to you. I want to thank you for bringing happiness to not only me but so many people. You are the best sister a brother could ask for and I know for a fact heaven has gained a beautiful angel today, Love you forever and always Ella bear."

The Tigers honored Bresee's sister by wearing "Ella Strong" shirts before Saturday's win over Furman after she returned to the family's home state of Maryland for treatment following a visit with the team early last week:

Bresee traveled back to Maryland following the game, and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said football was not relevant when asked about the standout lineman's availability for this Saturday's game against Louisiana Tech.

"I don't know and really don't care," Swinney told reporters Wednesday.

He added: "As I said, yesterday there are bigger things than football. He needs to focus on what he's doing, and when he's ready to be back and ready to play, we'll be here. But right now, he's right where he needs to be."

Bresee is a redshirt sophomore who joined the Tigers program in 2020.

Clemson announced Thursday it signed head football coach Dabo Swinney to a contract extension through 2031.

According to Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger, Swinney will make $115 million over the term of his new 10-year deal, making him the second-highest-paid head coach in FBS after Nick Saban.

This follows the current trend in college football, with schools spending extravagantly to hire new coaches or keep the ones they already have.

Most recently, Alabama's Nick Saban signed an eight-year, $93.6 million extension, which made him the highest-paid coach in the country. He surpassed Georgia's Kirby Smart, who will collect $112.5 million over 10 years.

There have been no indications Swinney was getting restless at Clemson, and it's difficult to envision him ever leaving at this point. He has been with the program since 2003, and this is his 15th season as head coach.

He's an Alabama alumnus, so perhaps a return to Tuscaloosa after Saban retires could be on the cards. But that's still some way off from becoming a possibility.

Given the achievements the 52-year-old has helped to deliver, a pay raise comes as little surprise. Under his watch, the Tigers have won two national championships and claimed seven ACC titles.

Clemson is coming off a disappointing 2021 season, however, one that began to raise some larger questions.

Swinney has become a victim of his own success, to a degree, because a 10-3 record and finishing 14th in the Associated Press Top 25 poll would've been qualified as a success years ago. Now, any year in which Clemson isn't in the College Football Playoff is considered almost a failure.

But last September, The Athletic's Bruce Feldman and Grace Raynor laid out how some thought the Tigers were stagnating a bit offensively, with one ACC assistant calling the team "very predictable." The team averaged 359.2 yards per game, down from 502.3 in 2020, and ranked 71st in ESPN's offensive SP+ metric.

Swinney then had an offseason in which he had to replace his offensive (Tony Elliott) and defensive (Brent Venables) coordinators. Rather than look outside of the program, he promoted from within. Quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter replaced Elliott, while defensive assistant Wes Goodwin and safeties coach Mickey Conn are sharing Venables' old job.

Although some thought it was a perfect opportunity to bring some new voices into the fold, maintaining the status quo could be the right approach.

It's too early to tell for now. Clemson beat Georgia Tech 41-10 in its opener, a score that's slightly flattering since the Tigers scored 17 points in the final nine minutes of the game.

Especially on the heels of signing his new contract, Swinney will have time to continue seeing his vision through even if the team experiences some bumps in the road.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney isn't going to make a change at quarterback right now.

Swinney told reporters that DJ Uiagalelei is the starter but freshman Cade Klubnik will get "as many opportunities as" possible to play after leading an impressive touchdown drive late in the Tigers' 41-10 victory over Georgia Tech

Despite the final score, Clemson's offense with Uiagalelei under center looked erratic. It started the game with four consecutive non-scoring drives (three punts and a lost fumble).

The Tigers' first touchdown drive only took five yards after Carson Donnelly blocked a punt and recovered it deep in Georgia Tech territory.

After the Yellow Jackets missed a field goal on their next possession, Uiagalelei put together his best drive of the first half. He accounted for 65 of the team's 67 yards and capped it off with a six-yard touchdown pass to Beaux Collins.

Uiagalelei finished the game 19-of-32 for 209 yards and two touchdowns (one rushing). Expectations have been high for the California native since he committed to Clemson prior to the 2020 season. He was a 5-star prospect and No. 1 pro-style quarterback recruit coming out of high school, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Since replacing Trevor Lawrence as the starter last year, however, Uiagalelei has failed to impress. He completed 55.6 percent of his passes for 2,246 yards with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 13 games in 2021.

Klubnik also faces sky-high expectations in his first season at Clemson. He was a 5-star prospect and the No. 6 overall player in the 2022 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

In his first exposure at the college level, Klubnik went 4-of-6 for 50 yards and a touchdown on Clemson's final offensive possession against Georgia Tech.

It's hard to take much from what Klubnik did late in the fourth quarter of a blowout, but the lack of progress from Uiagalelei based on his performance leaves the door open for a change if he continues to struggle.