Georgia suffocates Clemson, as Dabo Swinney's program is cooked as serious championship contender
It typically takes a boa constrictor four to six days to capture, kill and fully digest its prey. It took top-ranked Georgia two quarters before Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs turned into pythons and strangled the life out of No. 14 Clemson for a statement 34-3 victory.
Like a snake playing with its food, the Bulldogs sniffed around the Tigers, struggling early on to know exactly what they were up against. Carson Beck & Co., scored just six points in the first half, with the senior quarterback recording the team’s longest run at 13 yards. Georgia’s defense pitched a shutout, but the offense was held to under 3.0 yards per carry.
Then halftime came and went, and Georgia decided enough was enough with the sleepy start. As has been the case during the program’s recent dominance, the 2024 Bulldogs dominated the third quarter (14-0) to take full control of the game. Beck got into rhythm, the offensive line started to create running lanes (especially on the perimeter) and a trio of offensive newcomers (freshman tailback Nate Frazier, transfer wideouts London Humphreys and Colbie Young) became heavily featured in the offense. The Bulldogs averaged nearly 10.0 yards per play in the second half.
Frazier took full advantage of UGA’s starting tailback Trevor Etienne serving a one-game suspension, finishing his debut with a game-high 83 yards on 11 carries and one touchdown. The shifty 5-star California freshman also added an explosive 24-yard catch-and-run. Meanwhile, Georgia’s defense certainly looked the part, holding Clemson to just 188 yards, zero touchdowns and seven punts.
Here’s a tale of the two sides from the blowout in Atlanta:
Clemson’s roster referendum?
It’s easy to dunk on Dabo Swinney for his refusal to use the transfer portal, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. The Tigers’ regression as a program can be directly correlated to the program’s roster construction.
Swinney isn’t signing Top 10 classes consistently anymore, and there’s a misnomer that Clemson has a unique loyalty with its players. In the last four seasons, 31 players have transferred out of the program. Meanwhile, the Tigers haven’t backfilled any of the losses via the portal — and that was on full display Saturday afternoon.
Whereas Georgia had a trio of transfer receivers — Humphreys, Young and Dominic Lovett — combine for 111 yards, seven catches and two touchdowns, Clemson freshman wideouts couldn’t get open against the Bulldogs’ sticky secondary.
The Tigers’ offensive line wilted under pressure in the second half (four tackles for loss allowed, two sacks) and Cade Klubnick displayed no growth in Year 2 working with Garrett Riley.
At times, there were plays to be had, but as has been the case the last three seasons, the Tigers’ offense couldn’t connect.
This isn’t a program without talent. With Peter Woods (2.5 TFLs), RJ Mickens (2 PBUs) and Barrett Carter, Clemson’s defense is fully capable of still contending for the ACC — but not if the offense continues to resemble Purple and Orange Iowa.
Despite Swinney’s insistence that folks should “buy stock” in Clemson, there’s a staleness around the Tigers that only seems to be worsening. Dabo Swinney’s stubbornness and refusal to adapt to the changes in the sport has turned the Tigers from a championship program into a potential ACC also-ran.
The offense is antiquated, and so is Swinney’s approach to talent acquisition. That combination is how you end getting waxed for the program’s worst loss in 11 years. Swinney’s mini-dynasty has long been over (zero CFP berths in four years), and now, the Tigers might just be ‘little ‘ole Clemson.’
Georgia rolls … with plenty of room to improve
The scariest takeaway from UGA’s 31-point win was how ‘meh’ the Bulldogs played at times Saturday.
Beck missed a pair of potential touchdown throws in the first half. The pass rush came and went. The offensive line didn’t start leaning on Clemson until the second half.
And yet, you look up at the end of the day and Georgia out-gained Clemson by 4.1 yards per play. Despite missing Etienne, and watching key starters like Warren Brinson, Mykel Williams and Dillon Bell all exit with injuries, Georgia’s ridiculous depth was on display. They brought in wave after wave to wear down Clemson.
It was the type of performance that will make Smart both smile and want to pull his hair out — perfect for a Week 1 blowout over a Top 25 team.
Etienne will soon return, and Georgia will find more ways to implement Frazier into the offense. The transfer wideouts will continue to gain chemistry with Beck, and a defense chalked with young, long, angry playmakers (Jalon Walker, Raylen Wilson, Williams, Malachi Starks) looks faster and more athletic than last year’s unit. For a program that hasn’t lost a regular-season game since 2020 (40-straight, longest streak in 67 years), that’s crazy.
The Bulldogs were ranked No. 1 in all the preseason polls for a reason, and even after a B-ish performance, they look primed for another storied season.