Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei was benched in the third quarter against Pitt on Saturday after he threw his second interception of the day.
Uiagalelei, who was given 7–1 odds to win the Heisman before the season started, was intercepted by linebacker SirVocea Dennis in his last play of the day. The junior returned the shovel pass for a touchdown to extend Pitt's lead to 21–7.
Uiagalelei was replaced by sophomore Taisun Phommachanh. In his three appearances this season, Phommachanh has completed seven of ten passes for 75 yards, thrown one touchdown and one interception.
Despite his son getting benched, Dave Uiagalelei weighed in on Twitter and showed support for his son's replacement.
"Let's go PHOMMACHANH, I've said it over and over, I just want a CLEMSON win," he Tweeted. "It's a team sport and we support who ever is on the field."
Uiagalelei later re-entered the game in the fourth quarter with his team down 27–10 and immediately contributed. He rushed for a touchdown to make it a two-possession game. But that was the last score of the game and the Tigers lost 27–17. Uiagalelei finished with 128 passing yards, two interceptions, 50 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.
The post-Trevor Lawrence era has been a nightmarish one for coach Dabo Swinney and company. They've lost three games already this season after being named the No. 2 team in the country before the season began. This is the first time Clemson has lost three games in a season since the 2014 season.
