ATLANTA: Top-ranked Georgia sent out their message to the rest of college football Saturday afternoon that they are to be reckoned with again this season as the Bulldogs butchered Clemson 34-3 in the AFLAC Kickoff Game at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Bulldogs outscored the Tigers 28-3 in the second half scoring touchdowns on four of their five full possessions.
Georgia’s defense has now held the Tigers without a touchdown over the last ten quarters they have played.
Game story by Nikki Hood
After a slow start, the team that everyone thought Georgia would be showed up to the Mercedes Benz Stadium as the Bulldogs rolled to a 34-3 win over Clemson Saturday afternoon in the Aflac Kickoff Game. Georgia scored just six first half points, but two quick touchdowns in the third quarter put the game out of reach. Clemson fell in the opener for the third time in four years and twice at the hands of the Bulldogs in that span.
Clemson mustered just 188 yards of total offense. Quarterback Cade Klubnik was 18-for-29 for 142 yards and an interception. Phil Mafah carried the ball 16 times for 59 yards while Antonio Williams had six catches for 76 yards. Meanwhile, Georgia had 447 yards of total offense. Carson Beck finished the day completing 23-of-33 passes for 278 yards and two scores. Freshman Nate Frazier led the Dawgs with 11 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown.
The Tigers and Bulldogs traded possessions without either team gaining much traction for the first 21 minutes of the game, before Georgia put together the game’s first scoring drive. Georgia started on the 20-yard line and drove 68 yards in 12 plays, highlighted by 23-yard pass from Beck to Dillon Bell. The drive ended with a 24-yard field goal and a 3-0 Bulldog lead at the 8:49 mark in the second quarter.
After Clemson’s offense went three-and-out- and just a 34-yard punt to the Georgia 32, Beck hit Lawson Luckie over the middle for a 31-yard gain to the 37-yard line. Clemson’s defense held on the next three plays, but Peyton Woodring was true from 55-yards for a 6-0 Georgia lead with 4:16 to play before halftime.
Georgia’s ho-hum offense went from zero to 90 after halftime. On the second play from scrimmage, Beck hit Arian Smith for a 32-yard completion. Two plays later, Bell found daylight for a 27-yard gain to the nine-yard line. After a short gain on first down, Beck found Colbie Young in the endzone for the game’s first touchdown. Clemson led 13-0 with 12:01 to play in the third quarter.
Clemson’s first possession of the second half looked much like that up the first two quarters until Jake Briningstool grabbed the ball out of the air with one hand for a 19-yard gain. A roughing the passer call tacked on 15 and put Clemson in positive territory for the first time. The Tigers drove down to the six but had to settle for a 26-yard Nolan Hauser field goal – the first of his career – to cut Georgia’s lead to 13-3 at the 6:34 mark in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs continued to find success offensively on their next possession needing just eight plays to find pay dirt. Nate Frazier scored his first collegiate touchdown on a one-yard plunge into the endzone for a 20-3 lead with 3:15 to play in the third quarter.
Georgia added two fourth quarter touchdowns – one by London Humphreys (a 40-yard reception) and a 15-yard run by Cash Jones.
The Tigers host Appalachian State next Saturday at 8 p.m.
Final Stats
Here’s my view from the Mercedes Benz Dome
