ATLANTA – The No. 14 Clemson Tigers fell to the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs by a score of 34-3 to open the 2024 season at the Aflac Kickoff Game in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Tigers first drive ended in a three-and-out after multiple penalties extended the drive, but Georgia’s defense proved too dominant to contain.
The same, however, could be said on the flip side — Georgia’s first drive ended with an equally short three-and-out thanks to stellar coverage from Clemson, specifically sophomore cornerback Avieon Terrell.
Terrell — whose older brother AJ was present as an honorary captain — was involved in several crucial stops, contributing five solo tackles. AJ was a member of Clemson’s 2018 national championship team and currently plays for the Atlanta Falcons after signing a massive contract which made him the second-highest paid cornerback in the league.
“I feel like we both got the same competitive edge. He (Avieon) is more of a rah-rah cocky dude when he is on the field. He doesn’t really show it off the field,” the older Terrell said earlier this week. “But when the lights are on, on the big stage, you’ll feel his presence.”
Hopes were high this offseason for quarterback Cade Klubnik, who enters his second year starting at center. His performance, though not as inspiring as Clemson fans were looking for, had several highlights that point to his potential for development through the rest of the season.
A 36-yard dot to redshirt sophomore receiver Antonio Williams gave the Tigers a first down, and several deep passes to the right went incomplete due to Georgia’s sticky secondary, not his aim.
Williams, who played just five games last year, returned from injury to catch six of seven targets and brought in 76 yards in the air. In the backfield, Phil Mafah and Keith Adams Jr. combined for 65 yards with all other run plays resulting in a loss.
It’s hard to tell if Clemson was purposely playing mind games with Georgia or just making questionable choices. The first play of their opening drive was a classic shotgun short-right pass from Klubnik to Mafah, which was incomplete. Head coach Dabo Swinney may have been baiting the Bulldogs with the obvious, or letting his team do what they know best.
Another decision that left viewers scratching their heads was the Tigers’ choice to receive in the first half. By kicking the ball to Georgia straight out of the locker room, they allowed the re-energized Bulldogs to march down the field for their first trip to the endzone in a drive lasting less than three minutes.
“When you get beat like that, that’s on the head coach. That’s on me. Complete ownership of a really crap second half,” Swinney said.
In an all-too-familiar scenario for Clemson fans, the Tigers’ defense came out swinging and managed to hold the typically high-flying Bulldogs to six points in the first half. However, they were exhausted by Georgia’s explosive receiving core in the second, allowing 287 yards compared to 160 in the first half.
On the bright side, Clemson appears to have cured last year’s turnover bug. Although Klubnik threw one interception intended for Tyler Brown late in the fourth quarter, the team managed to avoid any fumbles for loss. This is a better start than last year’s opener against Duke, where the Tigers lost control of the ball twice.
The Tigers will be back in action for their home opener against Appalachian State next Saturday, Sept. 7, at 8 p.m. in Memorial Stadium.
