Dabo Swinney and the No. 14 Clemson Tigers were beaten on Saturday, as No. 1 Georgia walked away with a 34-3 win over the Tigers at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
After a solid first half where the Clemson defense was humming, making up for the Tigers struggling offense heading into the locker room 6-0. Holding the Bulldogs to 160 yards and six points in the half was good, but it was all downhill for the Tigers in the second half. Swinney’s team was outscored 28-3 in the second half as the defense wore down and Clemson’s offense looked worse, rather than better.
Georgia’s offense went wild in the second half as the Tigers’ defense failed to keep up. The Bulldogs ripped off 287 yards and 28 points in the second half, while Clemson’s offense struggled to put together a solid drive.
Clemson starting quarterback Cade Klubnik ended the game completing 18-29 pass attempts for 142 yards and an interception, with Georgia’s Carson Beck completing 22-33 for 278 yards and two touchdowns. Both struggled in the first half, but Beck really took off in the second.
The Tigers needed to establish the run to have a chance here and unfortunately couldn’t get it going on the ground. Clemson star running back Phil Mafah ended the game with 16 carries for 59 yards, averaging 3.7 yards per carry.
Overall, Clemson’s offense picked up just 188 yards, while the Bulldogs doubled their total with 447 yards. Georgia’s defense on the other hand, held Clemson to 3 points, not allowing a touchdown.
This was not the way Swinney and the Tigers wanted to start their season. Clemson will look to bounce back in Week 2 against App State.