Where is Charlie Ward when you need him?
The DJ Uiagalelei era at Florida State is already in crisis mode just two games in, following a brutal 17-point loss at home to underdogs Boston College on Monday night.
Uiagalelei completed 21 of 42 passes for 272 yards, one touchdown pass and one interception in a 28-13 loss to the 10th-ranked Seminoles, who fell to 0-2.
Florida State fans began chanting “We want Brock” for backup quarterback Brock Glenn before halftime after the Eagles scored early in the third quarter to take a 21-6 lead.
Seminoles coach Mike Norvell did not say Monday whether he considered benching Uiagalelei or whether he would consider making a change for the team's Sept. 14 home game against Memphis.
“We struggled offensively and there are a lot of reasons for that.” Norvell didn't offer any specific criticism of his struggling playmaker.“Obviously, everything we do, we have to strive to improve. That's what we're going to focus on. We're going to focus on striving to improve and putting our players in the best position to achieve success. That's what we're going to focus on.”
Uiagalelei comes to Tallahassee looking to take charge of a team that went 13-1 last season and may have contended for a national title had quarterback Jordan Travis not been injured.
Florida State will be Uiagalelei's third college after a lackluster stint at Clemson, where he lost the team's starting quarterback spot, and a solid, albeit undistinguished, 2023 season at Oregon State.
With Florida State coming off one of its biggest disappointments of the season early, it's beginning to look like third time's a charm for Uiagalelei.
Uiagalelei had a mediocre season opener against Georgia Tech, completing 19 of 27 passes for 193 yards and no touchdowns, and completed just 50 percent of his passes on Monday night.
The redshirt senior led Florida State to just two field goal drives in the first half, and Florida State didn't score with 20:19 left after trailing 21-13.
He also made two particularly brutal pitches.
Trailing 14-3 late in the first half, he missed an open receiver for what should have been an easy touchdown, and the Seminoles settled for a field goal.
Early in the third quarter, on fourth down and five at the Florida State 47-yard line, Uiagalelei threw an interception. With the Seminoles out, Boston College scored a touchdown to give the Eagles a 15-point lead.
This season, Uiagalelei has thrown for 465 yards with one touchdown pass.
Despite Uiagalelei's poor performance, the coach blamed the team's performance.
“For us, we're just tired of the way this season started,” Norvell said. “Obviously tonight we set our team up and didn't let them fight back.”
