ATLANTA – Georgia is on a different level than almost every other college football team, and the Bulldogs proved that again Saturday to open the 2024 season.
Sporting News presents four takeaways from Georgia’s 34-3 win over Clemson, which the No. 2 Bulldogs flipped from a halftime nail-biter to a second-half blowout.
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Two programs, two different levels
Saturday's contest marked the first of what could be four games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for Georgia.
The SEC championship game, a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game and the national championship game will all be played in the Atlanta Falcons’ stadium. Georgia looked perfectly capable of participating in all three of those games based on its performance against Clemson.
The Bulldogs suffocated the Tigers in the first half, then blew the game open in the second when new offensive coordinator Mike Bobo figured out how to exploit the Clemson defense.
The total yardage was 447-188 in Georgia's favor. Clemson’s defense showed flashes, holding Georgia to a pair of field goals and just one trip inside the red zone on five first-half possessions. But that defense was unable to hold up in the second half, and the Tigers' offense had little chance, averaging just 3.6 yards per play.
When Georgia scored a 10-3 win against Clemson to open the 2021 season, the Tigers were ranked No. 3, but they clearly are no longer a top-five program. ThE Bulldogs, on the other hand, have built a permanent residence atop the sport alongside Ohio State and Alabama.
Before we write off Clemson, though, remember Oregon lost 49-3 to open the 2022 season in this very same game against a similarly dominant Georgia team. The Ducks have been 22-4 since. Just because you’re not as good as Georgia doesn’t mean you can’t be good.
"I'd say we got a long season ahead," Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. "That's what I'd say. I'd say tonight was bad. Georgia going to make a lot of people look bad. They made us look bad today."
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Georgia defense: As fast as it ever was
Georgia has made a living off speed in the back seven during its recent run of dominance, and that speed is alive and well with this group. Linebackers C.J. Allen, Smael Mondon Jr. and Jalon Walker are all over the place, and Malaki Starks and Daylen Everette squeeze you in the secondary.
Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik did a good job going through his progressions for most of the day, but the secondary option was covered just as much as the first whether he looked deep-to-short or short-to-deep. There was no separation against these Bulldogs wherever he looked.
Klubnik finished 18-for-29, 142 yards and an interception. But again, don’t write him off because he couldn’t light up the Bulldogs. They will make a lot of quarterbacks look ordinary this season.
"I have to play against our defense every single day, and I don't enjoy it very much, either," Georgia quarterback Carson Beck said. "They're phenomenal."
Bottom line: This Georgia defense is going to run with anyone it faces this year – which has been critical during its recent run of top-five finishes.
Malaki Starks, my goodness
— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 31, 2024
pic.twitter.com/8vPCJm8DlA
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Clemson still needs wideouts
Antonio Williams made a couple of nice plays for Clemson, but the rest of the wide receiving corps were not difference-makers against the Georgia defense. Beyond their WR1, the Tigers do not have anyone in the wide receiver room that will break a game open.
Tight end Jake Briningstool made a gorgeous one-handed catch, and running back Phil Mafah is going to be one of the top backs in the ACC, so all is not lost for the Clemson offense. But this again will be a unit that is going to have to be consistent and drive the field without a lot of chunk plays to score.
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Is Carson Beck a first-rounder?
Sporting News has Carson Beck as the No. 1 quarterback in the country and a first-team All-American. But is he going to be a sure-fire first-round draft pick in April?
The 22-year-old was throwing to a pretty green receiving corps against Clemson, and things started a bit slow in the first half. He finished 23 of 33 for 288 yards and two touchdowns — numbers that will bring Georgia victories in nearly every game this season given their defensive prowess.
Beck challenged some one-on-one coverages deep and allowed his receivers to have a chance to make a play, but few connected. Still, his two touchdown passes were to newcomers, as Vanderbilt transfer London Humphreys caught a 40-yarder and Miami transfer Colbie Young caught an 8-yarder. Give Beck some time with this new group and he will look more like the first-rounder people are expecting.
"For them to come out first game and be able to make some plays, that instills more confidence for me into them, and obviously it's a good moment for them, so super proud of them," Beck said.
