CLEMSON — Clemson is not expecting anything different from Florida State’s offense, though the Seminoles will be without starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei when the No. 15 Tigers come to town on Saturday.
FSU head coach Mike Norvell confirmed to reporters earlier this week that Uiagalelei will not be available Saturday night (7 p.m., ESPN).
“He’s going to be out for this Saturday,” Norvell said Tuesday. “We’ve still got some further testing to see what the longevity of that is going to keep him out, but that will most likely be the next couple of weeks.”
With the former Clemson quarterback now officially listed out of the game, the Seminoles (1-4, 1-3 ACC) turn to backup Brock Glenn behind center. Glenn started and helped the ‘Noles beat Louisville in last year’s ACC Championship Game and also started in their loss to Georgia in the Orange Bowl.
No matter who the quarterback is, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is not expecting any real changes from the Florida State offense.
“I think they are going to do what they do,” he said.
What the Seminoles do is not much, at the moment. They have vastly underachieved after losing so many players and starters from last year’s team to the NFL.
FSU ranks last in the ACC in scoring offense, total offense and rushing offense. They are also last in yards per rush and yards per play. They also rank 16 th out of 17 teams in yards per pass attempt.
“The only thing I can say is that they may do a little Wildcat, like you saw in the ACC Championship Game. Maybe that is something a little extra we prepare for,” Swinney said.
As for Glenn, last year he appeared in five games overall. The redshirt freshman completed 19 passes for 229 yards with two interceptions and rushed 19 times for 22 yards and one touchdown.
In the ACC Championship Game, he completed eight passes for 55 yards and had nine rushing attempts without a turnover. Glenn completed nine passes for season-high 139 yards in the Orange Bowl vs. No. 6 Georgia.
He also played in the Southern Miss, North Alabama and Florida games last season.
“We got two full games to study him and watch him, so we have a good amount of tape on him,” Swinney said. “But you prepare for what they do. He is a good runner. He can throw the ball. They are not going to ask him to do anything different.”
The Clemson defense had perhaps its best performance since the first half of the Georgia game, as they shut down Stanford in the second half last week. Before the Cardinal got a late touchdown in garbage time, they had just 65 total yards in the first 23 minutes of the second half.
Overall, the Tigers (3-1, 2-0 ACC) forced three turnovers, had four sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Clemson also held Stanford to 0-for-3 on fourth-and-short plays, as well and 1-for-4 in the red zone.
The question is can they duplicate that performance on the road this Saturday night. And will they see the same Florida State offense?
“They are going to run their offense,” Swinney said. “That is why [Glenn] is there. They recruited him there. They, obviously, loved him as a player. They have been growing him and developing him. He has some experience, so I am sure they have all the confidence in the world in him.”
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