Five games into the season, Clemson’s offense continues to work on itself. Part of that equation for D.J. Uiagalelei is finding connections with his receivers down the field.

The intermediate-to-deep passing game has been a work in progress all season for the Tigers’ sophomore quarterback, whose 54.3 completion percentage is last among ACC signal callers. Some of those misfires loomed large in Clemson’s last game against Boston College when the Tigers moved the ball as well as they have all season.

No. 25 Clemson (3-2, 2-1 ACC) rolled up 438 total yards in the 19-13 win with seven of its possessions reaching Eagles territory, including four of its last six. Five of those drives reached Boston College’s 25-yard line or deeper. Problem was, the Tigers never finished those possessions in the end zone, which made for victory a bit too close for comfort.

Their lone touchdown came on a 59-yard run by Kobe Pace early in the first quarter. The rest of the scoring came off the foot of B.T. Potter, who was called on four different times after the offense couldn’t score touchdowns. Potter converted all four field goals, but the frequency with which he was used highlighted the missed opportunities by the offense, including some deep shots Uiagalelei missed against man coverage.

“That’s what you want to be able to do is be able to have the defense play man coverage, try to be able to stop the run and give our receivers one-on-one chances,” Uiagalelei said. “That’s all you want as an offense.”

With the Tigers rushing for 231 yards — second-most all season — Boston College showed Clemson more of that than most defenses this season, often leaving one-on-one matchups on the outside. Uiagalelei, who finished 13 of 28 passing for 207 yards, specifically recalled six throws he missed, including at least one to freshman receiver Beaux Collins that would’ve been a touchdown.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has been adamant that the Tigers have to start connecting on some of those if the offense is going to be the explosive group they believe they can be but have yet to consistently show this season. Uiagalelei echoed his coach’s sentiment that some of those misses are just that.

But Uiagalelei added it’s on him to give his receivers more of a chance when they get those isolated opportunities.

“Trying to put the ball too fine,” Uiagalelei said. “Trying to aim too much and trying to give them the perfect ball and kind of put it a little too far out there. Some of it is technique. It just kind of depends on each and every throw.”

As for where he is mentally, Uiagalelei said the inconsistent start to his season hasn’t shaken his confidence. The strong-armed signal caller said he’s at his best when he’s reacting instead of thinking, which hasn’t always been the case with some of the inaccuracies lingering in the back of his mind.

“Not thinking about ball placement,” Uiageleli said. “Just going out there and just ripping it.”

The Tigers are going on their second week of preparation for their next game at Syracuse on Friday. Clemson is coming off an open date, which has given Uiagalelei more time to continue working on the passing game.

“Confidence comes from preparation on the practice field. It comes from film work and film study,” he said. “As long as I do my part on that, I’ll be perfectly confident for the game.”

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