The eighth ranked Tigers had just come off the field at Memorial Stadium with a 38 35 victory Saturday night in front of a howling crowd of 83 830 which made a sea of orange inside the stadium. Try telling that throng of fans this was just another win. More than 20 000 poured onto the field after the clock ran out to celebrate.
It feels good to win any game doesn t matter that they are SEC left tackle Brandon Thomas said. It was the first game on our schedule every game that we win is great.
It seemed like a rehearsed coached up response for a team that has some serious aspirations. Clemson is supposed to be flashy team with the exhilarating wide receiver/return man Sammy Watkins but the Tigers showed off a solid run game with running back Roderick McDowell going for 132 yards. Clemson had 206 yards rushing.
Watkins had his moment taking a short pass and converting into it a 77 yard scoring play in the first quarter but the win was about a balanced offense that is going to be tough for any Atlantic Coast Conference team to handle.
The Tigers who defeated Louisiana State in the Chick fil A Bowl to end the 2012 season kept their momentum going into this season behind the sixth year coach Dabo Swinney who played at Alabama and understands that the hierarchy of college football starts with the SEC. (The A.C.C. has not won a national title since Florida State in the 1999 season.)
Swinney s players were Saban like in dismissing one win as anything more than one win.
The score was 28 28 in the third quarter when Chandler Catanzaro kicked a 24 yard field goal to give Clemson a 31 28 lead. Clemson widened the margin to 10 after Boyd threw a 9 yard touchdown pass to tight end Stanton Seckinger with 7 minutes 40 seconds to play.
Clemson still led 38 28 late in the fourth but Georgia raced in for a score with 1 19 to play to make it 38 35. The Tigers recovered the Bulldogs onside kick and Georgia with no timeouts was finished.
Georgia had a special teams mishap when it lined up for a field goal inside the 5 in the third quarter. The snap sailed over the kicker s head.
The Georgia sophomore running back Todd Gurley rushed for 154 yards on just 12 carries. The Bulldogs amassed 545 yards total offense and quarterback Aaron Murray threw for 323 yards. If there is an issue with Clemson as far as being a national championship contender it lies with its secondary which gave Georgia receivers too much room and allowed Gurley to fly 75 yards untouched for a touchdown in the first quarter.
Of course the Tigers are not thinking about such things.
It wasn t really A.C.C. SEC it was a game we needed to win it was our opener running back Zac Brooks said.
The Georgia Clemson series started in 1897 because the two campuses are only 71 miles apart but the Bulldogs and the Tigers have been linked by something other than proximity for the last 30 years. The two programs lost all momentum from national championships because of scandals in the 1980s.
The Bulldogs won the 1980 national title with the all American running back Herschel Walker and the Tigers won the 1981 title with defensive lineman William Perry known as the Refrigerator. While both programs have had some top 10 teams the last 30 years they have not been consistent contenders for the national championship a disappointment because both have successfully commercialized their teams with large stadiums located in fertile recruiting areas.
That was why Saturday night s top 10 matchup was so eagerly anticipated. There was a chance to snatch back the luster on national television in prime time.
In 2012 Georgia had its best chance to win its first national title in more than 30 years but it came up 5 yards short of beating Alabama for the SEC championship. There were just four starters returning on defense this season but Georgia Coach Mark Richt was hoping the extra preparation for playing Clemson in the first game would help negate the inexperience.
Given the skill of the Tigers offense the Bulldogs held up well in the first half. They forced Clemson to punt five times. But Georgia kept hurting itself in a game where it could not afford mistakes given the potency of the Clemson offense.
Murray a fourth year starter was stripped in the pocket and fumbled the ball away. He also threw an interception in Clemson territory to defensive end Corey Crawford who had dropped into coverage.
The Bulldogs are 0 1 and still have to play nationally ranked South Carolina and Louisiana State before the first month of the season is complete.
Clemson heads off toward the A.C.C. with a nationally televised win under its belt and expectations of its fans following them every step of the way. Whether the Tigers accept it or not beating a top 10 team from a conference like the SEC which has won seven straight titles is not going to be treated as just another win.
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