Smashed: Clemson offense silenced as No. 1 Georgia clamps down in 2024 opener
A bad day for quarterback Cade Klubnik.
A lack of execution.
No explosiveness to be found after an offseason’s worth of talk about it.
The No. 14 Clemson football got absolutely blitzed by No. 1 Georgia in its season opener, and if a lot of the issues from Saturday’s 34-3 loss sound to you like the same ones from Clemson’s opening loss to Duke last year, you’d be spot on. But don’t compare it to “Groundhog Day.”
At least in that movie, the day getting repeated didn’t get worse.
A year after mustering just seven points in an opening loss at Duke, coach Dabo Swinney’s program got an even firmer reminder of where it stands in the current college football universe by failing to reach the end zone even once.
The SEC’s Bulldogs, winners of two of the last three national titles, were bigger, stronger and better across the board in blowing out the Tigers and easily covering the spread as a 13.5-point favorite at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Georgia (1-0) was +259 in offensive yardage, outgaining Clemson 447 to 188, and averaged 7.5 yards per play against a Tigers defense expected to be one of the best in the country. Georgia’s field day included seven passing plays of 15-plus yards and six rushes of 10-plus as star quarterback Carson Beck and a host of skill players ran wild against a fatigued Clemson group.
And they did it without their top running back, Trevor Etienne, who was suspended and didn’t play for the Bulldogs after being arrested for DUI earlier this year.
Clemson, meanwhile, lost a second straight opener by 21 or more points and snapped a five-game winning streak that dated back to last November.
This loss doesn’t eliminate the Tigers from College Football Playoff contention. In a 12-team field, the possibilities are endless. And the possibility of an ACC title and first-round bye in that playoff is very much still on the board.
But the Tigers are four years removed from their last CFP appearance, and after the third worst loss of Swinney’s career they feel as far away from that pedestal as ever.
“Biggest thing: When you get beat like that, that’s on the head coach,” Swinney said postgame. “That’s on me. Complete ownership of just an absolute crap second half. Really disappointed.
“But I’ve done it long enough. Sometimes you get your butt kicked, and we did today. That’s not what we came here to do. But you got to give Georgia credit.”
Game recap
Late in the first quarter, Clemson quarterback Klubnik connected with receiver Antonio Williams for an impressive 36-yard gain and diving catch.
That’s about all the sizable chunk of Tigers fans in Atlanta had to cheer about during a mostly forgettable first half in which their team got shut out.
Offensive coordinator Garrett Riley’s unit had five offensive drives in the first half, excluding a kneel-down right before the break, and punted on all five.
It was a poor showing heavy on procedural penalties and poor execution. Clemson only crossed the 50-yard line once — on the drive featuring Williams’ catch — but that promising stretch was wiped away when a penalty nullified a first-down catch (also by Williams) on third and 9.
As Georgia quarterback Carson Beck settled in, Clemson’s defense had some success in limiting big plays. And defensive end Peter Woods had a critical third-down sack of Beck that forced UGA into a field goal after its best drive of the day.
Bulldogs kicker Peyton Woodring knocked that one in from 26 yards, and also had an impressive 55-yarder later in the second quarter to give his team a 6-0 lead at the break.
Late in the second quarter, Clemson could have had one last attempt at a score. But after burning one early timeout after a defensive substitution issue in the first quarter and using two more on offense — one on a 4th and 1, the Tigers ultimately punted on — they had no way to stop the clock. UGA drained it from about 50 seconds to 8 seconds and punted.
A preseason No. 1 team hasn’t lost its opener in 34 years, though, and Georgia made quick work of a tiring Clemson defense in the second half with back-to-back touchdown drives in the third quarter — neither of which faced much resistance.
Beck hit receiver Colbie Young for a 7-yard back shoulder touchdown over Clemson cornerback Jeadyn Lukus (13-3) and running back Nate Frazier made it 20-3 with an easy, 1-yard rush after more chunk plays from Beck and company.
For Clemson, the second half brought more missed opportunities, none greater than a two-play stretch in the third quarter. Clemson got down to Georgia’s 6-yard line then got a -3 yard run from Klubnik and an incomplete pass (Williams, the receiver, lost a high ball in the air).
The Tigers avoided a shutout with a 26-yard field goal by true freshman Nolan Hauser (his first ever attempt for Clemson), but the writing was on the wall. Trailing 13-0, the team had a golden opportunity to get within a touchdown but couldn’t get out of its own way.
Three points there felt like it wouldn’t be enough.
Sure wasn’t.
Trailing 20-3 in probably its last true shot to make Saturday’s game competitive again, Klubnik got sacked on first down ... and third down. The Tigers could do nothing but punt it away, and Beck’s 40-yard touchdown pass to receiver London Humphreys put the game firmly out of reach at 27-3.
UGA kept on going in the fourth quarter and scored a fourth touchdown in five second-half drives when former walk-on running back Cash Jones bulldozed Lukus on a 15-yard rushing touchdown (34-3).
That final result held in a resounding win for UGA in front of a crowd of 78,827 fans, the largest ever recorded at an Aflac Kickoff Game.
“I don’t ever shy away from games like this,” Swinney said. “I think when you play games like this, you got a chance to learn, you get a chance to teach. I think you can grow your football team, because they get a chance to see where they are right out of the gate. ... We’ll get back to work on Monday.”
Next Clemson football game
Who: Clemson (0-1) vs. Appalachian State (1-0)
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7
Where: Memorial Stadium in Clemson, SC
TV: ACC Network
This story was originally published August 31, 2024 at 3:19 PM.
