Tag: chick-fil-a kickoff game

After rough start, Uiagalelei steps up in season opener

It was a rough start for DJ Uiagalelei, but the Clemson quarterback stepped up late in the first half and came through again at an important point in the second half to help the fourth-ranked Tigers to a 41-10 win over Georgia Tech on Monday night …

It was a rough start for DJ Uiagalelei, but the Clemson quarterback stepped up late in the first half and came through again at an important point in the second half to help the fourth-ranked Tigers to a 41-10 win over Georgia Tech on Monday night in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

It wasn’t smooth sailing early on for Uiagalelei, who mishandled a snap on Clemson’s first drive and had the ball punched out on a designed quarterback run on the next before taking a sack on the third possession.

However, Uiagalelei started to find a rhythm in the second quarter, leading an eight-play, 67-yard drive that he finished off with a touchdown pass. The junior signal-caller flushed outside of the pocket and found Beaux Collins, who was streaking in the back of the end zone, for a 6-yard touchdown that put the Tigers up 14-0 with 3:52 left in the half.

After shedding over 20 pounds this offseason, Uiagalelei is a lot slimmer but still wasn’t much of a factor in the run game for Clemson in the first half. He carried the ball nine times for 17 yards in the game’s first 30 minutes, while completing 12 of 16 passes for 114 yards and the touchdown.

Uiagalelei’s legs were more of a factor in the second half, though. With Clemson up by just one score at 17-10 with less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter, Uiagalelei capped a nine-play, 74-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown run that extended the Tigers’ advantage to 24-10 at the 1:18 mark of the frame.

The touchdown was preceded by a key, highlight-reel play from Uiagalelei, which saw him turn a would-be sack into a third-and-4 conversion by somehow avoiding several potential tacklers in the backfield and pitching the ball to Will Shipley, who then ran 10 yards to pick up the first down.

Uiagalelei also ran for 7 yards on a third-and-5 play in the fourth quarter, setting up Will Shipley’s second rushing touchdown of the game that gave Clemson a 34-10 lead with 6:27 left. Both of Shipley’s scores came after the Tigers blocked punts.

Uiagalelei finished 19-of-32 passing for 209 yards and a touchdown, and would’ve had a better completion percentage were it not for a few drops by his receivers. He also finished with 13 rushes for 28 yards and one score on the ground.

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Uiagalelei, Tigers extend lead late in third quarter

Clemson put together a nice drive toward the end of the third quarter to extend its lead over Georgia Tech on Monday night. DJ Uiagalelei rushed for a 9-yard score with 1:18 left in the third frame, giving the Tigers a 24-10 lead over the Yellow …

Clemson put together a nice drive toward the end of the third quarter to extend its lead over Georgia Tech on Monday night.

DJ Uiagalelei rushed for a 9-yard score with 1:18 left in the third frame, giving the Tigers a 24-10 lead over the Yellow Jackets in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

The touchdown was preceded by a highlight-reel play from Uiagalelei, which saw him turn a would-be sack into a third-and-4 conversion by somehow avoiding a few potential tacklers and pitching the ball to Will Shipley, who then ran 10 yards to pick up the first down.

Clemson found the end zone on Uiagalelei’s run six plays later, capping the nine-play, 76-yard drive that spanned 3:14.

The touchdown run marked the second score that Uiagalelei has accounted for in the contest. He also threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Beaux Collins in the second quarter.

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Dominant Clemson D looks as advertised in first half

Clemson struggled offensively to start Monday night’s game against Georgia Tech, but the Tigers’ defense certainly came ready to play – from the very first play from scrimmage. Sophomore safety and 2021 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year Andrew Mukuba …

Clemson struggled offensively to start Monday night’s game against Georgia Tech, but the Tigers’ defense certainly came ready to play – from the very first play from scrimmage.

Sophomore safety and 2021 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year Andrew Mukuba intercepted a deep pass from Georgia Tech quarterback Jeff Sims on the first offensive snap of the game, and that was the start of what was a dominant first two quarters of play by the Tigers’ D.

Clemson’s defense yielded only a field goal in the first half of Monday’s Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, helping the fourth-ranked Tigers to a 14-3 lead over the Yellow Jackets at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

The Tigers’ defense — expected to be one of, if not the best in the country — certainly looked as advertised in the first two quarters.

A disruptive Clemson defensive line and stingy overall unit posted five tackles for loss in the first half while limiting Georgia Tech to just 24 rushing yards, eight first downs and 135 total yards.

Georgia Tech went 1-of-8 on third down and averaged 1.7 yards per carry.

Sophomore linebacker Barrett Carter paced Clemson’s D with seven total tackles, including six solo and a tackle for loss, and also forced a fumble. Defensive end KJ Henry and defensive tackle Bryan Bresee each recorded 1.5 tackles for loss.

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Dan Lanning unconcerned with underdog label: ‘Nobody in Vegas is going to play in this game’

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning isn’t concerned with the betting odds being against his team in Week 1 against the Georgia Bulldogs.

Opening up the college football season against the defending national champions is never an easy task.

Doing it with a new head coach, new coordinators, a new quarterback, and new starters in the running back room, wide receiver room, and the secondary is especially challenging, even if the talent level at each of those spots is excellent.

So it’s no surprise to see the Oregon Ducks head into the Chick-Fil-A kickoff game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium as betting underdogs. However, new head coach Dan Lanning is entirely unconcerned by the perception of sportsbooks…or really anyone for that matter.

“We don’t really bother ourselves with the opinions of others,” Lanning told reporters on Monday. “Nobody in Vegas is gonna play in this game. Our players are gonna play in the game so we know what everyone thinks of our team and that’s okay by us. Our goal is to go out there and play the best game we can possibly play. But that’s gonna have zero effect on this game. The opinions of others are not going to matter.”

Considering the amount of emotion that goes into a regular college football season opener, and considering the added aspect of playing your former team, who is ranked No. 3 in the nation and coming off a championship, it’s easy to see why Vegas betting lines are about the last thing on Lanning’s mind this week.

Oregon and Georgia are set to kick off their respective seasons at 12:30 PM PT on Saturday.

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10 notable quotes from Kirby Smart’s press conference ahead of Oregon game

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart held his first weekly press conference of the 2022 season where he discussed facing Lanning and the Ducks.

College football is finally upon us which mean coaches conduct their usual Monday press conferences to discuss the state of their own team and how great the opponent is and what kind of insurmountable effort it will be to win on Saturday.

Georgia’s Kirby Smart held his first weekly presser in front of their opening game against the Ducks. The Bulldogs are the defending national champions, but this Bulldog team is not THAT Bulldog team.

They lost a ton of talent off of a historically great defense and now they face the architect of that defense in Oregon’s head coach Dan Lanning. Smart talked about a wide range of topics as the No. 3 team in the nation prepares for No. 11 Oregon in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff in Atlanta.

‘I know who the QB’s gonna be;’ Georgia coach Kirby Smart previews matchup with Oregon

Oregon hasn’t announced a starting QB yet, but Georgia HC Kirby Smart says he knows who it will be when Saturday’s game kicks off.

The big question surrounding Oregon fall camp has been who will be the starting quarterback for the Ducks in 2022. Will it be senior transfer Bo Nix out of Auburn or will it be the redshirt freshman Ty Thompson?

Head coach Dan Lanning said he’s going to keep that answer to himself and we’ll all find out when the Ducks take the field Sept. 3 as they face Georgia in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff.

But Georgia head coach Kirby Smart claimed in his first weekly press conference of the season that he knows the answer. While Smart didn’t name Nix by name, he has assumed as much.

I know who the quarterback’s gonna be so we’re not worried about that (figuring out whether it’s Nix or Thompson). I’m worried a lot more about how our guys play and what our guys do and how our guys execute. You guys use that to write about and talk about, but let’s be honest, regardless of which quarterback’s in there, they’re going to do what they do. Maybe he (Nix) does one thing better than the other guy does. You know they may play both of them. But it’s never about the preparation for one specific quarterback as much as it is the preparation of your team to go play well.

Lanning most likely knows who the Oregon QB1 will be and is just keeping the secret to himself. But if for some reason that decision hasn’t been made yet, perhaps he could get some insight from his former boss in Athens.

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Former Clemson star to serve as honorary captain for Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game

Officials today announced that Grady Jarrett and Keith Brooking will be honorary captains for their respective alma maters at the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game between Clemson and Georgia Tech. The honorary captains will join the team captains at …

Officials today announced that Grady Jarrett and Keith Brooking will be honorary captains for their respective alma maters at the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game between Clemson and Georgia Tech. The honorary captains will join the team captains at midfield for the pregame coin toss prior to the 8 p.m. ET kickoff on Sept. 5 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Representing the Clemson Tigers as an honorary captain will be Atlanta Falcons defensive end Grady Jarrett, who played under head coach Dabo Swinney from 2011-14. After starting all 13 games during his senior season, he totaled 73 tackles and 1.5 sacks, which earned him First Team All-ACC honors. The Falcons selected the Atlanta native in the fifth round of the 2015 draft, where he has totaled 359 tackles, 26.5 sacks and five forced fumbles over his seven year career.

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets honorary captain will be Georgia native and former NFL middle linebacker Keith Brooking. After finishing his college career with 34 consecutive starts, Brooking became the leading tackler in Georgia Tech history with 467 career tackles. He was selected with the 12th overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1998 draft and spent 10 seasons with the team, earning Second-Team All-Pro honors twice in 2002 and 2004. Over 161 games, he recorded 1,133 tackles, 44 tackles for loss and 17 sacks. Brooking then spent two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, before finishing his professional career with the Denver Broncos in 2012.

The 19th edition of the nation’s longest-running kickoff game will feature two members from the same conference for the first time in the event’s history when Clemson and Georgia Tech face off. This will be Clemson’s third appearance in the game, after facing Alabama in the inaugural Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in 2008 and then defeating Auburn 26-19 in 2012. Georgia Tech will play in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game for the second time after previously facing Tennessee in 2017. The Yellow Jackets lead the all-time series vs. Clemson 50-34-2, but the Tigers have won the last seven contests, including a 14-8 victory last season.

#CFAKickoff

About Peach Bowl, Inc.:

Peach Bowl, Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization that operates the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, the Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament, and manages The Dodd Trophy national coach of the year award. It is the ninth-oldest bowl game in the country and is recognized as college football’s most charitable bowl organization, having donated $59.2 million to organizations in need since 2002.

Our Events:

The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is one of the New Year’s Six bowls selected to host the College Football Playoff including a CFP Semifinal every third year and top-ranked teams from around the country in the other two years of each cycle. Over its 54 years, the game has drawn 3.1 million fans in attendance, a total television audience of 209.6 million viewers on ESPN, delivered $221 million in team payouts, and has created $786.3 million in direct economic impact for Atlanta and Georgia.

Our Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is the nation’s longest-running kickoff game and has reshaped the opening weekend in college football. Over 17 games since 2008, the game has regularly hosted the nation’s top teams and has drawn 1.1 million fans, 87.4 million television viewers, distributed $101.3 million in team payouts and created an additional $498.5 million in economic impact.

Marcus Mariota named as honorary captain when Oregon meets Georgia

Marcus Mariota was named as Oregon’s honorary captain when the Ducks meet UGA in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game.

The Oregon-Georgia game is a pretty big deal in the world of college football and the stars will be out.

In keeping with its tradition of recognizing notable team alumni, officials today announced that former Duck quarterback Marcus Mariota and former Bulldog tailback Willie McClendon will be honorary captains for their respective alma maters at the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game between Oregon and Georgia. The honorary captains will join the team captains at midfield for the pregame coin toss prior to the 12:30 p.m. PST kickoff on Sept. 3 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Mariota, the current Atlanta Falcons quarterback, played in Eugene from 2011-14.  The most decorated player in Oregon history, Mariota earned unanimous All-America and Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year honors and was named the winner of the 2014 Heisman Trophy.  Mariota finished his career as the Pac-12’s career total touchdowns leader (135) and holds the career records for passing yards (10,081) and career passing touchdowns (105) at Oregon. He was selected with the second overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft, and spent his first four seasons with the Tennessee Titans. After a recent two-year stretch with the Las Vegas Raiders, Mariota signed a two-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons this past offseason.

Representing Georgia will be McClendon, who played under former head coach Vince Dooley from 1976-78. In 1977, in the only previous meeting between Oregon and Georgia, he scored the game-clinching touchdown in the fourth quarter to help lead the Bulldogs to a 27-16 victory. After rushing for 1,312 yards and scoring 13 touchdowns during his junior season, McClendon was named SEC Player of the Year in 1978. He was then drafted in the third round of the NFL draft in 1979 by the Chicago Bears. After his four-year playing career, McClendon went on to serve as an assistant on the Georgia coaching staff from 1989 through the 1993 season.

The 18th edition of the nation’s longest-running kickoff game will feature the defending Pac-12 North Division Champion Ducks squaring off with the defending College Football Playoff National Champion Bulldogs. Georgia is making its third appearance in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game after most recently defeating North Carolina 33-24 in Kirby Smart’s first victory as a head coach in 2016. Meanwhile, Oregon will appear in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game for the first time in the program’s history. This will mark only the second time the two football programs have met and will be their first meeting since that 1977 contest.

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Georgia coach Kirby Smart comments on chance to face ‘longtime friend’ Dan Lanning

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart had some complimentary words for his friend and Oregon coach Dan Lanning during SEC Media Days.

As the Georgia Bulldogs defense was absolutely dominating every team it faced in 2021, it was a foregone conclusion their defensive coordinator Dan Lanning was going to have many options in the offseason as to which head coaching job he wanted.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart knew his DC and buddy was out the door, but he probably didn’t figure on having to face Lanning so soon.

Lanning accepted the head coaching job at Oregon and almost immediately, everyone looked at the 2022 schedule and saw the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game get a lot more significant.

It’s one of the biggest Week 1 games in the sport, but according to Smart, he’s appreciative of Lanning’s role with the 2021 national champions, but come Sept. 3, it’s all business. He discussed this during SEC Media Days.

I get to go against a longtime friend and a guy that meant so much to our prgram in Dan Lanning, but we open against Oregon right here in Atlanta. We’re excited for that opportunity; we get to chance to represent the SEC right off the jump.

No doubt that same excitement is being felt across the country in Oregon. Lanning will get to prove to everyone “right off the jump” that the Ducks made the right decision in hiring a guy who led the best defense in all of college football.

Even if Georgia gets the better of Oregon in Atlanta, Lanning’s Ducks will make it a difficult 60 minutes for the Bulldogs and make them like they just through a very tough SEC game.

And who knows? Maybe Oregon will go down to the state capital of Georgia and shock the South with a victory.

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All tickets sold for Clemson vs. Georgia Tech Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game

ATLANTA (July 21, 2022) – The 2022 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game between Clemson and Georgia Tech has officially sold all available tickets for its prime-time matchup on Labor Day night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Clemson vs. Georgia Tech …

ATLANTA (July 21, 2022) – The 2022 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game between Clemson and Georgia Tech has officially sold all available tickets for its prime-time matchup on Labor Day night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

The Clemson vs. Georgia Tech Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game will kick off in prime time at 8 p.m. ET, Monday, Sept. 5 and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. The matchup is the first-ever clash between two ACC teams since the creation of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in 2008.

“The historic rivalry between Clemson and Georgia Tech will continue in this year’s Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, featuring two schools from the same conference for the first time in our game’s history,” said Gary Stokan, Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and president. “Both teams and their passionate fan bases will create an electric atmosphere when they compete on the national stage to begin the 2022 ACC season.”

Stadium configuration for the game will be similar to last year’s inaugural “Mayhem at Mercedes-Benz Stadium” game when Georgia Tech defeated No. 20 North Carolina, 45-22. A very limited allotment of tickets has been reserved for fans that still wish to purchase Georgia Tech season tickets or three-game mini-packs. For more information, visit ramblinwreck.com/footballtickets.

“We’re excited to open the 2022 season in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Being the only college football team in the nation that is guaranteed to play a game annually at Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a huge privilege for Georgia Tech football, and doing it in the season opener against a great opponent like Clemson only sharpens our focus as we approach the season,” said Georgia Tech head coach Geoff Collins. “We’re looking forward to playing in front of a great crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and a huge Monday Night Football television audience on ESPN.”

This will be Clemson’s third appearance in the game, after facing Alabama in the inaugural Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in 2008 and then defeating Auburn 26-19 in 2012. Georgia Tech will play in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game for the second time after previously facing Tennessee in 2017. The Yellow Jackets lead the all-time series vs. Clemson 50-34-2, but the Tigers have won the last seven contests, including a 14-8 victory last season.

As the nation’s longest-running kickoff game, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game averages 67,064 fans – higher than the attendance of 43 bowl games last year – and has an average payout of $5.96 million which is higher than 30 bowl games during the 2022-21 Bowl Season. The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games also have a strong television viewership year-after-year, with more than 87.5 million viewers since the inaugural series in 2008.

The teams will battle for The Old Leather Helmet Trophy, one of college football’s newest rivalry-style icons. Traditionally, winners of The Old Leather Helmet don the helmet on the field after the game, starting with the head coach and then rotating from player to player as the team celebrates its victory.

Secondary Market Tickets Through Ticketmaster

Fans interested in locating tickets in the secondary ticket market can visit the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game’s official ticket exchange on Ticketmaster.  It is common for secondary market prices to exceed face value.  Visit https://chick-fil-akickoffgame.com/resale to view tickets for resale on the exchange.

–Press release courtesy of Chick-fil-A Kickoff game

Dear Old Clemson’s first event is July 24. Now there is a new way to support Clemson student-athletes. Come out and meet the freshmen football players at this meet and greet autograph session. If you sign up for certain club levels you get free access to all Dear Old Clemson events. Purchase your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.