Will Shipley, Clemson Football News: Draft Scout Player News

09/11/21 - RB Will Shipley, Jr/2024, Clemson

Will Shipley's not too young to see how much No. 6 Clemson needed a strong offensive showing. The five-star freshman tailback had 80 yards rushing and two touchdowns as the Tigers cranked up their offense with a 49-3 win over South Carolina State on Saturday. The dominant performance followed a dreadful one in a 10-3 loss to No. 2 Georgia last week, a game in which Clemson was held without a touchdown for the first time since the 2017 season. "It was very important for us to come out firing on all cylinders," the 19-year-old Shipley said. "This definitely gave us confidence, and we're definitely stepping in the right direction." Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei ran for two scores and threw for a third and Clemson gained 504 yards after managing just 180 - and only 2 rushing - against the SEC's Bulldogs. "I just wanted to come out and prove myself, play a great game," Uiagalelei said. "I'm ready to get better and better." Uiagalelei and the Tigers (1-1) had touchdowns on all four of their first-quarter possessions and pulled away for their 36th straight win over teams from the Football Championship Subdivision.

Uiagalelei began the rout with a 4-yard scoring burst. Shipley and Kobe Pace added scoring runs before Uiagalelei closed the surge with an 11-yard pass to receiver Justyn Ross. It was Ross' first touchdown catch since 2019, after he missed last season due to spinal surgery. Clemson coordinator Tony Elliott said Uiagalelei still has work to do to improve his rhythm with his pass-catchers. "As the quarterback continues to do that, the game will slow down," Elliott said. South Carolina State (0-2) of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference had little chance of slowing the Tigers. Clemson continued its dominant history for the Tigers over their instate rival, improving to 5-0 alltime by a combined score of 287-23. - Clemson/AP College Football

Jr/2024