Uiagalelei leads No. 5 Clemson to 35-12 victory over Furman

Updated Sep. 10, 2022 6:39 p.m. ET

Associated Press

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — DJ Uiagalelei threw for 231 yards and two touchdowns, Will Shipley ran for two scores and No. 5 Clemson moved to 37-0 against FCS opponents with a 35-12 victory over Furman on Saturday.

It was a satisfying showing for Uiagalelei, who's been dogged by questions whether he can lead the Tigers back to championship form.

Things might be quieter this week after Uiagalelei directed the Tigers (2-0) to touchdowns on his first five drives. Clemson was up 21-3 early in the second quarter to remain perfect over teams from the Football Championship Subdivision.

It was Clemson's eighth straight victory, longest among Power Five teams; its 35th straight win at home and 32nd in a row over Furman.

Uiagalelei finished 21 of 27, his lone interception coming late in the third quarter with Clemson ahead 23 points. He also got plenty of support from the home crowd, the student section chanting “Go DJ” several times in the first half.

Shipley had TD runs of 1 and 17 yards, giving the sophomore tailback 15 touchdowns in 12 career games at Clemson.

Furman (1-1) punched holes in Clemson's defense, things future Tigers' opponents will certainly break down in pregame prep. The Paladins of the Southern Conference gained 384 yards after Clemson yielded on 237 to Georgia Tech in the opener.

THE TAKEAWAY

Furman: The Paladins found ways to make plays, just not enough to stay close to the ACC preseason title favorite. At least Furman goes home with the $415,000 guarantee for playing at Death Valley.

Clemson: The Tigers remain a work in progress. A defense that seemed so strong in defeating Georgia Tech looked leakier against Furman. Clemson will need to get things cleaned up over the next two weeks before heading to No. 23 Wake Forest on Sept. 24.

POLL IMPLICATIONS: Clemson fell a spot in the rankings last week after a 31-point win over Georgia Tech 41-10. Who knows what's ahead after the Tigers did the expected by blowing out Furman.

DABOTRON: Clemson's new video board debuted Saturday. The scoreboard over the East end zone at Memorial Stadium that's five times larger and 20 times the resolution of the one that was in use the past 10 seasons. The improvement was among $20 million in upgrades in phase one of a $68.7 million worth of enhancements to the Tigers' home field. The video screen, the eighth largest in the NCAA, was nicknamed “Dabotron” by the school's assistant athletic director of football communications in Ross Taylor.

UP NEXT

Furman starts Southern Conference play at East Tennessee State next Saturday.

Clemson hosts Louisiana Tech on Saturday night.

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