Live from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta:
Special teams:
– Clemson won the coin toss to open the game, and oddly elected to receive to open the first half. Normally, they choose to kick away and save their turn for the second half.
– Swanson punted five times for 212 yards with a long of 52 yards.
– Briningstool, Mafah and Williams combined for 78 all-purpose yards.
– True freshman Nolan Hauser won the kicker battle with Robert Gunn III, but we have yet to see his skillset put to work. No kicking was necessary for either side in the first quarter, though Georgia put up two field goals in the second.
– Long-snapper Phil Florenzo has been putting in the extra effort everywhere on the field — taking down Georgia players when kicking away, in addition to remaining open to receiving.
Offense:
– Quarterback Cade Klubnik has been shaky at times against a good Georgia defense, completing 7-of-12 passes for 54 yards.
– Klubnik put Clemson in a great spot toward the end of the first quarter with a 36-yard pass to Antonio Williams to put the team on Georgia’s side of the field. Williams has been a bright spot on offense, recording four receptions for 55 yards.
– RB1 Phil Mafah has been quiet, with six carries for 24 yards. He will look to see more touches in the second half.
– The Tigers opened up the game with a three-and-out, with two dropped passes by Phil Mafah and Jake Briningstool forcing the early stops.
– The Tigers had two first downs in the opening half.
Defense:
– The Clemson defensive line stood tall against Georgia’s rushing attack in the first half, only allowing 34 yards on the ground through 11 attempts.
– Peter Woods made his presence known early in the game with two tackles for loss and a sack in the first half. Woods also provided constant pressure on Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, forcing Beck to scramble on numerous plays in the half.
– While the defense dominated in the trenches, it struggled to stop Georgia’s passing attack, allowing 15 completions on 19 attempts for 126 yards.
– The Tigers have shown that they are resilient in the first half, holding Georgia to six points with no touchdowns scored by the typically high-flying Bulldogs.
