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CLEMSON -- After he watched DJ Uiagalelei engineer two go-ahead touchdown drives in the fourth quarter of the past two games, Dabo Swinney thought his quarterback and offense as a whole were on the back end of the storm.

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Some ominous developments in Saturday's 44-7 win suggested Swinney might've been off on that weather forecast.

Clemson fans continue to batten down the hatches for the final two regular-season games after watching Uiagalelei and the offense sputter against lowly Connecticut.

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And the much-welcomed presence of a vastly inferior opponent didn't provide the Tigers a respite from the trend of injuries that just keep coming.

Clemson improved to 7-3 and totaled 476 yards, but that number didn't do justice to how hard it was for the Tigers to move the ball.

Justyn Ross went down early and emerged from the locker room on crutches.

Taisun Phommachanh, the backup quarterback plenty of fans were clamoring for as an injured Uiagalelei missed receivers left and right, wasn't available after suffering an injury to his throwing shoulder in the first half.

Linebacker James Skalski was down for an extended period after going down with a knee injury.

And defensive tackle Tre Williams had an arm in a sling while standing on the sideline in the second half.

And this on top of an injury list that was already at sadistic lengths. The receiving corps is now missing Ross, Joseph Ngata and Frank Ladson.

After back-to-back wins over Florida State and Louisville kept Clemson in the conversation for an ACC Atlantic Division title, fans spent the week coming up with the different scenarios that could open the Tigers' path to a seventh consecutive trip to Charlotte for the championship game.

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While the Tigers need help from others to accomplish that goal, the reality is they should probably just focus on helping themselves and then go from there.

Because there's a lot that needs helping. If this game was a breather, the breathing was labored.

Clemson had 129 rushing yards on 42 attempts for an average of 3.1 a carry. With Will Shipley and Kobe Pace being held out, Phil Mafah got the start but rushed for 49 yards on 17 carries. His backup, Darien Rencher, had 37 yards on 14 carries and lost a fumble into the end zone trying to reach for a touchdown.

Wake Forest's defense isn't great shakes, and neither is South Carolina's. But if this offense can't move the ball forcefully and regularly against Connecticut, it's hard to bank on the Tigers keeping up against the Demon Deacons or executing with precision and consistency in front of a rowdy crowd in Columbia.

Limping on a braced right knee he injured in the win at Louisville, Uiagalelei threw for 241 yards on a 21-of-44 clip with a touchdown and an interception. At one point he threw eight consecutive incomplete passes, though it should be noted that his receivers didn't help him much when he was accurate.

Any fanciful notions that Hunter Helms and Billy Wiles might offer an upgrade at quarterback were quickly erased. Both of those distant backups showed they can miss throws by a lot, too.

UConn opened the game with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and that set the tone for a shaky first half that ended with Clemson up 30-7.

UConn return man Brian Brewton had 190 yards on three kickoff returns. The Huskies had 99 yards of total offense, minus-17 rushing, with six first downs.

Clemson tried to pound the run early but couldn't open holes. The Tigers had 37 yards on the ground on 17 carries in the first 30 minutes and were just 3-of-12 on third downs before halftime.

Uiagalelei finally got going at the end of the first half after the offense took over with 49 seconds left, leading the Tigers down the field for a 6-play, 88-yard touchdown drive highlighted by nice throws to Davis Allen, Dacari Collins and a perfectly placed 32-yard touchdown ball to Beaux Collins.

Clemson's fourth possession of the game was derailed by an interception by Uiagalelei in his own territory, and at one point in the second quarter the Tigers produced a total of seven yards on three consecutive possessions.

So plenty of work to do. And plenty of reason to think this offense is still very much in the storm that has hovered above it all season.

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