It has been a rocky start to DJ Uiagalelei's Florida State football career.

Fans booed as he was announced as the starter vs. Cal on Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium. And after a first drive of three-and-out, it seemed like it would be another long game for him.

However, Uiagalelei came out on the next drive and led FSU to a touchdown.

The redshirt senior knows things haven't been perfect, but he said following FSU's 14-9 win over Cal that he's working to be better.

"I definitely got to play better each and every game," Uiagalelei said. "I can't turn the ball over in the red zone. I got to be able to make throws and make plays with my legs."

Uiagalelei completed 16-of-27 passes for 177 yards (11.1 yards per completion) with a touchdown and interception. There were flashes that he was starting to put things together offensively, especially in the first half. But moments of hesitancy and some missed throws slowed his momentum.

The interception was a reminder of the up-and-down nature of Uiagalelei's starts.

It felt like the Seminoles were set to score a second touchdown, with Uiagalelei 6-of-7 at that point in the game, leading the drive into the red zone.

However, after a holding call negated a 9-yard completion to Lawrance Toafili, Uiagalelei threw an interception on third and long, crushing the Seminoles' scoring chance.

He finished the first half 12-of-19 for 104 yards, including the interception. FSU produced 30 yards on 10 plays in the third quarter as Uiagalelei and the offense struggled.

In the fourth quarter, Uiagalelei came up with a big moment, throwing a 36-yard touchdown pass to Ja'Khi Douglas to give FSU a lead it would never relinquish vs. Cal.

"I saw press, one-on-one, once I seen that I was like 'Yeah that's the ball right there," Uiagalelei said. "I just tried to give him a good ball. Ja'Khi made him miss early, he had a good release and got separation, I just had to put a good ball and he did the rest."

While the offensive struggles aren't all on him, he's had overthrows, sacks and slow decisions that have cost the Seminoles in moments throughout the season.

Saturday was arguably his best day as a Seminole, but there is still an appetite for much more.

Uiagalelei has gone 72-of-126 for 843 passing yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions this season. He's been booed, had chants of "We want Brock" and been questioned as the starter as frustrations over the 0-3 start mounted.

He said he's kept himself grounded and blocked out the noise by listening to his teammates and coaches.

"We got a good group of people, I listen to the building, my teammates," Uiagalelei said. "I'm just trying to play for the lord, give all the praise and glory to him, and I play for my teammates."

"The coaches we put a lot of work in each and every single week, so I'm just trying my best to go out and play for those guys. The people who believe in me."

Uiagalelei said it stunk being 0-3, but he wants the team to build off the win over Cal.

"Getting the first win, that's all you do it for. That's why you put in the work," Uiagalelei said. "Seeing all the hard work pay off and getting a W. Obviously we don't want to be at this point scoring 14 points, but at the end of the day a win is a win."

"The defense played an unbelievable game. O-line, receivers, and running backs, they did an unbelievable job. We just got to be able to continue to keep getting better. Learn from this, grow from this. Learn the things we did good or bad to be able to execute better next time."

Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football quarterback DJ Uiagalelei wants to be better after Cal win