Florida State QB DJ Uiagalelei Posts One Of The Weirdest First-Quarter Stat Lines Ever
Florida State QB DJ Uiagalelei was one of the most hyped prospects of all-time when he committed to Clemson for the 2020 season.
He was expected to step right in for Trevor Lawrence, who the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted with the #1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Expectations were that Uiagalelei would have a similar career in college on his way to the NFL.
But that never happened. Quite the opposite, in fact. Uiagalelei struggled in his three years with the Tigers, never living up to the hype and success that Lawrence delivered during his career.
Those expectations were unfair in the first place, since Lawrence helped Clemson reach unprecedented heights as a college football program.
And, before Lawrence, there was Deshaun Watson. Both quarterbacks won National Championships under head coach Dabo Swinney and both reached the College Football Playoff twice.
After three seasons, Uiagalelei left Clemson for Oregon State. After just one season with the Beavers, Uiagalelei elected to take his "talents" to North Florida and head to the state capital for a season with the Florida State Seminoles.
Despite nothing in his career that would indicate the senior quarterback was due for a breakout, the hype was still high for the Seminoles with Uiagalelei installed as the starting signal-caller.
Florida State began the season ranked inside the Top 10.
However, as has been the case with his entire career, disappointment followed Uiagalelei to Tallahassee.
Florida State opened the season with an upset loss against Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland before returning to the United States for a second upset loss to begin the season, this time at home against Boston College (as 16.5-point favorites).
Desperately needing a win, the Seminoles welcomed the Memphis Tigers to Tallahassee on Saturday. Once again, FSU opened as the betting favorite (6.5-point favorites).
And, once again, DJ Uiagalelei and the Seminoles struggled out of the gate as Memphis raced out to a 10-0 lead.
Part of that wasn't the quarterback's fault, as running back Roydell Williams fumbled on the second play of the game.
Uiagalelei didn't help matters, though, and later threw an interception in the first quarter.
Check out his stat line after 15 minutes of play. It's one of the strangest QB lines I think I've ever seen.
Uiagalelei completed 5–6 passes, but for only 7 yards, and his one non-completion was an interception.
Woof.
It could be another long day in Tallahassee.
UPDATE: It was indeed a long day in Tallahassee as Florida State lost their third straight game to open the season.
Memphis defeated the Seminoles, 20-12. DJ Uiagalelei went 16-30 passing for 201 yards, one interception and zero touchdowns.