High Noon in Atlanta: Clemson vs. Georgia prediction |
It’s go time.
It’s been 245 days since Clemson walked off the field following a thrilling victory over Kentucky in the Gator Bowl. Since then, we’ve had thrilling seasons in multiple sports, including golf, basketball and baseball, and everyone waited while the football team went through spring practice. But now? It’s time for football. NO. 14/14 CLEMSON (0-0, 0-0 ACC) vs. NO. 1/1 GEORGIA (0-0, 0-0 SEC) WHEN: SATURDAY, AUG. 31, NOON ET CLEMSON/GEORGIA SERIES HISTORY OVERALL: Clemson trails series, 18-43-4 NOTABLE *A Clemson upset win on Saturday would mark only the sixth time in the history of the AP Poll (which dates to 1936) that a team has defeated the preseason (and active) AP No. 1 in the top-ranked team's season opener. *As part of its season-ending five-game winning streak last year, Clemson defeated both South Carolina and Kentucky in its final two games of the 2023 season. According to Stats Perform, there have been 18 previous instances since 1980 in which a non-SEC team has played SEC opponents in three consecutive games. With a win Saturday, Clemson would become the first non-conference program in that span to play three consecutive games against SEC teams and win all three. *Clemson is opening its season away from home for the fifth consecutive year. It will match Clemson’s longest streak of season openers away from home all-time (1959-63). Clemson last opened a season at home in 2019. *Clemson is attempting to earn its third all-time win against a team ranking No. 1 in the AP Poll, joining national championship game victories against No. 1 Alabama to end the 2016 and 2018 seasons. *Clemson is attempting to improve to 3-6 all-time against AP No. 1 teams. *Clemson is attempting to become the sixth team ever to defeat the preseason (and active) AP No. 1 team in the top-ranked team's season opener. Previous instances included 1972 (UCLA over No. 1 Nebraska), 1981 (Wisconsin over No. 1 Michigan), 1984 (Miami over No. 1 Auburn), 1988 (Miami over No. 1 Florida State) and 1990 (BYU over No. 1 Miami). (Additional historical quirk: In 1989, Michigan was the preseason No. 1 but fell to No. 2 before losing to active No. 1 Notre Dame in Michigan's opener.) WHY IS GEORGIA FAVORED? Because the Dawgs are really, really good, and well-coached. Quarterback Carson Beck is a Heisman Trophy candidate, and he can make every throw on the field. He has an offensive line that can be dominant and while he lost talent to the NFL, he still has pass catchers like Dominic Lovett, Dillon Bell and Oscar Delp. And it’s Kirby Smart, so you know this group is going to hang its helmet on the defense. The Bulldogs have NFL talent all over the field, with Mykel Williams, Smael Mondon Jr. and Nazir Stackhouse setting the tone up front. The secondary will break in three new starters, but leading the way is one of the nation’s best defensive backs in safety Malaki Starks. This group can throw an offense off rhythm in a hurry. One concern…no one knows the status of running back Trevor Etienne, and the Bulldogs are already down one running back. If Etienne doesn’t play, there isn’t a lot of experience, and the Bulldogs lost their top two rushers (1781 combined yards) from a season ago. Beck’s two main safety valves—tight end Brock Bowers and receiver Ladd McConkey—combined for 86 catches and almost 1200 yards last season. WHY CLEMSON CAN PULL OFF THE UPSET This team is different from the one that lost heartbreakers at NC State and Miami last season. Head coach Dabo Swinney spent the Sunday following the NC State loss stewing and came back in on Monday determined to turn his program around. A five-game winning streak ended the season, but on a national scale, people only see the team that stumbled to a 4-4 record. This team is loaded with talent, especially at wide receiver, where quarterback Cade Klubnik finally has a healthy group. He can pick and choose from Antonio Williams, Tyler Brown, Troy Stellato, tight end Jake Briningstool, Adam Randall, and talented freshmen Bryant Wesco and T.J. Moore. Like he told me earlier this week, throwing to this much talent is fun. The defense is supposed to be salty, and with veteran Barrett Carter leading the way, along with Peter Woods and T.J. Parker and Avieon Terrell, it should be a stingy group. The key to this entire enterprise? Klubnik. He was better down the stretch in the five-game winning streak, completing 63% of his passes for 897 yards. But he still threw four interceptions against six touchdowns. He can’t make those mistakes against Georgia. If he plays well? The sky is the limit for this offense. One concern……there are questions about the health of the cornerbacks. Jeadyn Lukus and Shelton Lewis have both missed time in camp with injuries, and Swinney says both are day-to-day. If they can’t go, true freshman Ashton Hampton might have to log significant snaps. WHAT WILL HAPPEN Everything from the stats page to the talent level to the historical data points to Georgia. The Bulldogs are well-coached and talented, and they rarely, if ever, come out and play down to an opponent. Smart’s teams always come out ready for a fistfight, and in 2022, the Bulldogs thrashed Oregon 49-3 in a similar situation to what we see Saturday. So, Georgia in a laugher? In my best Lee Corso voice, not so fast, my friend. Swinney’s Tigers have been focused since those losses last season, and Swinney has had his foot on the gas in every meeting and every practice. There isn’t a lot of bluster and big talk coming out of the program, just a quiet confidence. I think this is closer than people think, and the freshman kicker, Nolan Hauser, makes a Chandler Catanzaro-type kick to win it. FINAL SCORE: CLEMSON 27, GEORGIA 24 TigerNet picks
WHERE: MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM (71,000), ATLANTA, GA.
TELEVISION: ABC (Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath)
RADIO: Clemson Athletic Network (Don Munson, Tim Bourret, Reggie Merriweather)
RADIO: Touchdown Radio Network (Brett Dolan, Gino Torretta)
SATELLITE RADIO: SiriusXM 82
HOME: Clemson leads series, 10-9-2
ROAD: Clemson trails series, 7-27-1
NEUTRAL: Clemson trails series, 1-7-1
LAST MEETING: Sept. 4, 2021 (10-3, L)
STREAK: Georgia, Won 2
David Hood - TigerNet senior writer - 27-24 Clemson
Mickey Plyler - The Roar 105.5 morning show host - 23-21 Clemson
Nikki Hood - Staff writer - 24-17 Clemson
Brandon Rink - Associate editor - 29-20 Georgia
Tony Crumpton - Associate editor - 27-20 Georgia
Ryan Kantor - Contributing Writer - 28-21 Georgia
Ariana Pensy - Intern - 24-17 Georgia
Merrell Mann - Photographer - 17-14 Clemson
Brooks Thomason - Intern - 27-21 Georgia
Grayson Mann - Staff writer - 27-23 Georgia
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