Carson Beck, No. 1 Georgia Thrill Fans With Blowout Win Over Dabo, No. 14 Clemson
Mike Chiari@@mikechiari
Featured Columnist IVAugust 31, 2024
Behind an efficient performance from senior quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Carson Beck, the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs crushed the No. 14 Clemson Tigers 34-3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday.
While there weren't many offensive fireworks for either team, Beck played mistake-free football and did more than enough to lead the Bulldogs to victory, completing 23 of 33 passing attempts for 278 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Beck received no shortage of praise for his play from fans on social media, especially considering he did it against a ranked team with a ton of talent on defense:
The rushing attack has typically been a big part of Georgia's success under head coach Kirby Smart, but it didn't carry the Bulldogs on Saturday, as Nate Frazier was the only Georgia player with more than 27 yards on the ground, rushing for 83.
Part of the reason for that may have been without the fact that Georgia was without expected starting running back Trevor Etienne, who was held out of the game after getting arrested on DUI and reckless driving charges in March, per ESPN's Chris Low and Mark Schlabach.
Etienne, who is the brother of Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne, spent the past two seasons at Florida before transferring to Georgia. He had a career-high 753 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns last season.
After Georgia went into halftime with a 6-0 lead, the touchdowns started to come in the third quarter, starting with a seven-yard pass to Colbie Young:
Georgia Football @GeorgiaFootballThe first TD of the season and the first in red and black for <a href="https://twitter.com/ColbieYoung?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ColbieYoung</a>.<br><br>📺: Watch live on ABC<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoDawgs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoDawgs</a> <a href="https://t.co/8Wztizzrco">pic.twitter.com/8Wztizzrco</a>
Following a one-yard touchdown run by Frazier later in the third, Beck threw his second touchdown of the day early in the fourth, hitting London Humphreys for a 40-yard scoring strike:
Although headlines typically belong to quarterbacks and offenses as a whole, Georgia's defensive dominance in Saturday's season opener cannot be ignored.
The Dawgs made life miserable for Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, limiting him to 142 yards, no touchdowns and one interception on 18-of-29 passing. Clemson running back Phil Mafah was held in check as well, rushing for 59 yards on 16 carries.
Overall Georgia allowed just 188 total yards, leaving Clemson with way more questions than answers after the first week of the season.
After a slow start last season, Clemson won its final five games to finish 9-4, which pleased head coach Dabo Swinney enough that he made Clemson the only non-service academy school in FBS to not make a move in the transfer portal.
On the heels of Swinney watching his team get completely outclassed against the top team in the nation, it is fair to wonder if he is having some second thoughts about his approach.
