No. 5 Georgia's defense dominates in win over No. 3 Clemson

Clemson is showing signs of life, kicker BT Potter nails a 22-yard field goal to bring the Tigers back within one score. 

Early in the drive it seemed the Bulldogs were going to force another three-and-out, but QB DJ Uiagalelei completed a 44-yard pass to Joseph Ngata to give his team a spark. That spark fizzled a little bit as they failed to get seven points form the Georgia five yard line. Nonetheless, Clemson managed to put points and make a dent in the lead. 

The first half of this top-5 matchup was all about defense as Georgia takes it to halftime up 7-0 over Clemson. That lead is attributed to Christopher Smith who picked off DJ Uiagalelei and brought it 74 yards to the end zone. 

Offensively, both these teams have had little to write home about. Clemson put together just 90 yards of offense, while Georgia has generated only 116 yards. The Bulldogs did have a chance to get points earlier on in the game when Jack Podlesny missed a 36-yard kick at the start of the second quarter. 

A scoreless first half for Dabo Swinney's team is a rare sight. In fact, it hasn't happened since 2010 (143 games ago) when NC State shut them out in the first half. The Tigers would go on to win that game 14-13, will we be set for another nailbiter tonight? Stay tuned. 

Shortly after Clemson seemed to have shifted the momentum in their favor thanks to a fumble recovery, Georgia turns the tables in a matter of seconds thanks to a pick-six.

Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei was attempting to complete a short crossing route over the middle when Georgia's Christopher Smith jumped the route and returned it 74 yards to the house. That breaks the scoring stalemate and gives the Bulldogs a 7 point lead.

GEORGIA PICK-SIX 🏡☎️

— ESPN (@espn)

For the first time since 2014, Georgia and Clemson are set to meet, this time in Charlotte, North Carolina. Saturday will be the 65th time the two have played since the inception of this rivalry, which dates back to 1897. 

A lot has changed since the last time these two graced the same field — and there have even been some changes since the end of the 2020-21 season. Most notably, Clemson and Georgia will both have starting quarterbacks that didn’t start the majority of games last season. 

UGA’s JT Daniels returned from injury to start the final four games of the season where he threw for 1,231 yards, 10 touchdowns and only two interceptions. Clemson’s DJ Uiagalelei came took over in two games last season when starter Trevor Lawrence was sidelined due to COVID-19. The Tigers went 1-1 with a loss to Notre Dame. In those two games, Uiagalelei was good for 781 yards in the air, four passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns. 

On the defensive side, Clemson and Georgia have no shortage of talent. Both were ranked in the top 15 for yards allowed per game in 2020. They also each feature preseason All-American defensive tackles in Georgia’s Jordan Davis and Clemson’s Bryan Bresee. 

For Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Georgia’s Kirby Smart, a top-5 victory to open the 2021 season will be a huge momentum boost as they make their way into the rest of their schedule. 

Here is the schedule for Saturday's game in Charlotte:

• 7:30 p.m. ET | Georgia vs. Clemson | Live stats | TV: ABC

College GameDay returned to the FBS stage this morning as Charlotte, NC hosted the crew before tonight's Georgia vs. Clemson game.

Clemson head coach Dabo Sweeney joined the set for a brief moment, hyping up the crowd.

"You guys are soft ... I thought you all were out here sweatin!"

Dabo wasted no time roasting the crew 😂

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay)

Later, a new guest joined the set in country and pop musician Kane Brown. Brown along with the mainstays provided predictions for all of the day's games.  However, the biggest prediction came at the end when Lee Corso made his pick.

"You can see my pick is easy, Clemson! ... Not so fast my friends, THE YEAR OF THE DOG!"

Coach with the fake me out and he's taking Georgia!

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay)

Track all of Corso's picks this season here.

Get ready for one of the biggest games of the year. It's No. 3 Clemson against No. 5 Georgia, with both the Bulldogs and the Tigers trying to get an early win to boost College Football Playoff chances.

• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Date: Saturday, Sept. 4
• TV channel: ABC
• Streaming: 
• Location: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina

Click or tap here for a complete list of Week 1 TV info.

Bart Boatwright | USA Today Sports Images The Clemson Football fanbase is expected to make the trip to Charlotte to cheer on their Tigers

No. 5 Georgia and No. 3 Clemson, two of college football’s premier programs, meet in a highly anticipated matchup in Week 1 of the college football season. 

When the ball kicks off at 7:30 p.m. in Charlotte  on Sept. 4, two top-5 teams play in a rare early season matchup. Usually out-of-conference teams of this stature don’t meet until the College Football Playoff or New Year’s Six Bowl. 

That’s familiar territory for both Georgia and Clemson, who have a combined 10 New Year’s Six Bowl appearances since 2015. In that span, Georgia has one playoff appearance; Clemson has six consecutive playoff appearances — plus two national championships.

Clemson enters the game with QB DJ Uiagalelei taking the reins from 2021 No. 1 draft pick Trevor Lawrence. Uiagalelei displayed flashes of greatness in two starts last year, one a top-5 matchup against Notre Dame. He’ll get the chance to show his talent in another huge contest with the help of top receiving target WR Justyn Ross, who makes his return after missing last season.

Aiding the offense is a strong defense, headed by a deep defensive line rotation featuring Bryan Bresee, Myles Murphy, KJ Henry, and more. Behind them, they’ll have linebackers James Skalski and Baylon Spector filling the gaps. In the secondary, potential first-round pick CB Andrew Booth will man one side of the field while long-time starter Nolan Turner patrols the middle.

Georgia has talent of its own, highlighted by the offensive backfield trio of QB JT Daniels, RB Zamir White and RB James Cook. The three will look to pick up their production after losing their injured WR George Pickens, who led the Bulldogs in receiving touchdowns in 2020.

As always, Georgia enters the game with an elite defense. DL Jordan Davis and LB Nolan Smith highlight a fearsome front-seven. The backend sees an influx of experienced talent with transfer cornerbacks Tykee Smith and Derion Kendrick (a former Clemson Tiger) looking to shut down opposing passing attacks.

There are stars across the roster for the Bulldogs and Tigers entering Week 1. When the two meet, the individual matchups are sure to be tightly contested.

Georgia vs. Clemson may come down to the wire. Even in Week 1, this game can have future Playoff implications down the road. Look for each team to try and make a statement to open the season.

The Georgia Bulldogs first played the Clemson Tigers way back in 1897 when the Tigers traveled to Athens to lose 24-0. Fast forward to the 21st century and the Bulldogs have won six out of the last seven meetings. In 2013's season opener, Clemson defeated UGA 38-35 in a top-10 clash. In the most recent meeting in 2014, the Bulldogs returned the favor, blowing out the Tigers 45-21 to open the season.

Georgia leads the series 42-18-4. Here are all the meetings since 2000:

Georgia and Clemson were ranked 5 and 3 in the preseason AP Poll, respectively. Here's how they stack up based off of 2020's results.