On Sept. 4, the highly anticipated matchup between Clemson and Georgia is going to kickoff. Each team has its eyes set on winning the College Football National Championship, and this is an important game to prove they deserve one of the coveted spots in the playoffs. In order to win the game, you must outperform the position group you are going against. Here is a synopsis of the position battles that will take place in the “Clash of the Titans.” 

DJ Uiagalelei versus Georgia’s defense 

The first matchup to look over is how (un)successful DJ Uiagalelei will be against Georgia’s defensive unit, specifically players in pass coverage. Georgia possesses great talent on their defense from top to bottom, but the question remains, “can they be a great pass coverage unit  this Saturday?” 

Georgia returned only one starting defensive back, Lewis Cine, and one linebacker, Nakobe Dean. That means Georgia will have two new starting corners, a new nickel corner, a new safety and three new linebackers, based off of the defensive sets they choose to run. Although the new players joining the team are talented, they are inexperienced three down guys or they joined the team this offseason, like Clemson transfer Derion Kendrick. 

Due to these factors, I believe DJ Uiagalelei will be able to pick apart this inexperienced team when passing the ball as long as Clemson’s offensive line can slow down Georgia’s pass rush at times. 

Clemson’s wide receivers versus Georgia’s defensive backs 

As mentioned previously, Georgia’s secondary is extremely inexperienced which will hurt them against such a talented receiving core like Clemson. 

“I know who we have in this room right now is very talented and very special… This receiving room can be one of the best ever to come through here,” said Uiagalelei. 

Clemson has Ajou Ajou, Beaux Collins, Frank Ladson Jr., Joseph Ngata, and Justyn Ross. Due to the mix of talent, experience, and talented experience, Clemson’s receivers should be able to go wild against Georgia’s inexperienced defensive backs. Also, for those who forgot, Justyn Ross averaged 133.2 yards per game and .61 touchdowns per game in his 28 game Clemson career. 

Clemson’s offensive line versus Georgia’s defense line 

Clemson may win most of these position battles, but they are going to lose this matchup by a landslide. This is not to say Clemson’s offensive line is not good, but it is because Georgia’s front seven is insanely good. 

Georgia is returning their entire defensive line and Nakobe Dean at linebacker. Last year, Georgia had the best rush defense in the nation and averaged 3.2 sacks per game which ranked eleventh among all teams. Senior defensive linemen Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt returned for this season, and they will give Clemson’s offensive line fits. Not to mention, Clemson still has not decided the five players who will be manning the offensive line on Saturday. 

“We’ve been working with some different guys at center. Trying to find some guys that can go inside if you move like a Bockhorst per say. If you move him to center, who’s going to be that next guard? If Bockhorst is not the guy at center then who’s going to be the center,” said Tony Elliot on Monday. 

Clemson’s running backs versus Georgia’s front seven 

Since 2017, Clemson’s running backs used to be one of if not their strongest position group in large part due to Travis Etienne. With Etienne leaving Clemson for the Draft in April, Clemson needs to decide how to approach this position. Will they do a running back by committee approach, give the ball to the hot hand, or have they identified their number one? 

Unless Tony Elliot is trying to throw the media off the scent, which is entirely possible, he still has not identified how they are approaching the running back group. “We’re trying to figure that out,” Elliot said. 

As mentioned, Georgia had the best rush defense last season after only giving up 72.3 yards per game and 2.4 yards per carry. Due to these factors, Georgia will win this matchup.  

JT Daniels versus Clemson’s defense 

Although JT Daniels is one of the most talented quarterbacks in college football, he will suffer in this matchup largely due to his top three targets, Gilbert, Pickens, and Washington, all missing this game or being doubtful. Due to this, Clemson can focus all their attention on stopping sophomore receiver Jermaine Burton and making Georgia’s freshman receivers beat them… which is unlikely. 

“I don’t think JT Daniels is going to have options to throw the ball very quickly,” said Drew Hubbard of The Red and Black. 

Georgia’s wide receivers versus Clemson’s defensive backs 

Georgia’s Jermaine Burton was really effective last season when he had the ball in open space and in the deep passing game. In this game, he should see his role expand due to the receiving core’s injuries, but he should be fairly ineffective in the game against Clemson’s secondary. 

Furthermore, Clemson is returning their entire secondary except Derion Kendrick, allowing them to take over this matchup. Last season, Clemson had 14 defensive interceptions which ranked eleventh and a 126.2 pass efficiency against which ranked 35th. Do not be surprised to see Andrew Booth Jr. make another incredible interception this game. 

Georgia’s offensive line versus Clemson’s defensive line 

Similar to Georgia’s defensive line, Clemson’s defensive line will wreak havoc on Georgia’s offensive line. Despite their best two defensive linemen being true freshmen last season, they gave up only 112.7 rushing yards per game, had 9.1 tackles for loss per game and had 3.83 sacks per game. Georgia’s offensive line is relatively inexperienced, so they will have a tough time trying to stop this line.  

Georgia’s running backs versus Clemson’s front seven 

Thunder and lightning versus the seven-headed monster should be the title of this section. This matchup will be the most intriguing matchup of the game. Zamir White is a thundering force who will run over anyone in his path while James Cook has lightning speed who is great in the passing game. Meanwhile, Clemson’s front seven is full of athletic freaks who can lay a heavy hit, drop back in coverage, and make an open field tackle. Although this position battle is a coin flip, I believe Clemson will come up on top since Georgia’s offensive line will not be able to open up running lanes.