Dabo Swinney details Spencer Rattler's monster game, compares his perception to DJ Uiagalelei

Saturday’s matchup between South Carolina and Clemson will feature one of the season’s most interesting quarterback battles. Spencer Rattler will bring his Gamecocks into Death Valley in hopes of knocking off their second Top-10 team in as many weekends as they’ll play DJ Uiagalelei and the Tigers. Considering all things, Dabo Swinney is excited to see it considering how both players are trending at the end of the season.

Swinney spoke highly of both Rattler and Uiagalelei during his press conference on Tuesday. To start with the opposition, Swinney said Rattler’s career performance against Tennessee impressed him. He said the Gamecock quarterback, who is known for taking risks, was making all the close-call plays against the Volunteers and it paid off for South Carolina.

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“He was awesome. He made some throws that you can’t defend,” said Swinney. “If you go back and really watch it, when they had guys there? It’s not much difference in a touchdown catch and an incomplete. I mean it’s an inch. He just made some beautiful plays. He bought time, extended plays, and then his guys made plays…He’s a really, really talented player.”

From there, Swinney made some simple comparisons between the two quarterbacks. If we’re being honest, both players have very similar timelines. Both Rattler and Uiagalelei came out as highly ranked prospects, faced a ton of criticism in 2021, and have each now silenced many of those critiques in the 2022 campaign. While they’ve both been on a roller coaster, Swinney says Rattler and Uiagalelei have each reached the exciting parts of their ride based on their play this season.

“I think the quarterbacks get a lot of blame sometimes. Like last year? DJ didn’t play well but we weren’t very good around him either,” Swinney said. “I think it’s taken them some time to kind of hit their stride this year and now those kids are making plays for him, but (Rattler’s) a very talented player. Both have kind of had their ups and downs.”

Those similar timelines are what make this weekend’s matchup so fascinating. It’s not just a battle of bitter rivals in the state. It’s a matchup between two players who have worked wonders in reframing their images this season. However, only one can come out on top in the Palmetto Bowl when they face off tomorrow.