Five observations from Clemson’s season-opening loss to Georgia — and what’s ahead
After a 10-3 season-opening loss to Georgia on Saturday night, Clemson must now go back to the drawing board, watch film and bounce back.
The caliber of opponent should be taken into consideration, considering the Bulldogs are No. 5 in the rankings. Clemson is likely to slip from its No. 3 spot when the new Associated Press poll is released Tuesday.
The cliche rings true here: In order to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. Here are a few observations about Clemson and what’s ahead:
Uiagalelei’s ownership
During Clemson’s first drive of the second quarter against Georgia, quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei had just completed a 15-yard pass to Joseph Ngata for a first down when the California native fumbled the snap. While he recovered the ball, he seemed to have stopped for a second before only picking up one yard.
One more than one occasion, Uiagalelei looked out of sync and discombobulated, to which he took responsibility.
“I felt confident in the game plan,” he said. “I just gotta go out there and execute. ... I took a couple sacks when I should’ve thrown the ball away. Just simple stuff like that. I just gotta be able to grow from that. I can’t make those mistakes.”
Tailbacks, O-line performance
Clemson finished with just two total rushing yards on Saturday night. Seven quarterback sacks accounted for net loss of 46 yards. The longest run was a 10-yard tote from Lyn-J Dixon, who sat out of the first half due to “team reasons,” per head coach Dabo Swinney.
For as much has been made about Trevor Lawrence’s absence — and deservedly so — the Tigers’ season opener showed just how much of an impact running back Travis Etienne had for Clemson. It’s going to take a while to develop that experience and production with players like Kobe Pace, who got the start in the backfield, and true freshman Will Shipley.
That development extends to the offensive line. True freshman Marcus Tate recorded his first start at left guard after Matt Bockhorst moved over to center, a position he’s never played in college.
Ngata shines, but what about Ross?
Swinney has been waiting for a healthy Joseph Ngata. Against the Bulldogs, the California native was the one bright spot in an overall dim offensive performance against the Bulldogs.
Ngata had 110 yards on six catches and eight targets, already surpassing last year’s total of 83 receiving yards over seven games.
“It was good to see him be able to complete a game, go out there and play from start to finish at a high level,” Tigers offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said. “It was a bright spot for us and we’ll need him to be at his best down the stretch.”
Justyn Ross made his return after a season away, but things didn’t go exactly as planned. The redshirt junior had 26 yards on four receptions with a critical error that led to Bulldogs safety Christopher Smith’s pick-six. Ross will continue to work his way back into form after sitting out the 2020 season due to a surgery on his spine.
Don’t discount the Clemson defense
Clemson’s defense put on as good of a performance as one could ask. Even with the absence of Tyler Davis and Nolan Turner, the Tigers shut out Georgia’s offense, which was also missing a few pass catchers. Clemson’s last shutout was a 49-0 victory over The Citadel last season. The Bulldogs also only had three chances in the red zone and came away with points once on a 22-yard field goal. Linebacker James Skalski led the group with 14 tackles, while true freshman safety Andrew Mukuba got his first-ever start.
“From the end of last year, they responded tonight to adverse conditions and some tough situations,” Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables said, alluding to the Tigers’ College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Ohio State. “I just loved the leadership, the grit, the toughness they showed, discipline. We’ll get better from it.”
The schedule will help right the wrongs, right?
Clemson still has the rest of its schedule ahead, with in-state FCS foe South Carolina State next. Georgia will easily be the toughest opponent the Tigers face in the regular season, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be a complete cake walk. No matter what, they’ll need to come out with stronger performances and end the season 11-1 if they want a shot at making seven straight playoff semifinals games.
NEXT CLEMSON GAME
Who: South Carolina State at Clemson
When: 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11
Where: Memorial Stadium in Clemson
TV: ACC Network
